Living The Dream
by PHO3NIXFIRE
Summary: Follows a young and somewhat naive hunter on her journey from as she learns what life as a hunter is really like. This was the first fanfiction I ever wrote. Reviews and criticism welcome. Rated M for graphic violence.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter, Capcom does. I'm making no money.

A/N. This was originally posted on Gathering of Hunters, but alas, it went down. So I'm posting it here. Enjoi!

Minegarde. A vast continent shrouded in mysteries. The residents of each region know little to nothing of other areas. Few explore. Few venture into the unknown. Even less are heard from again. The reason for this is the Wyverns. Massive beasts with sizes beyond comparison roam the uninhabited regions of Minegarde, preying on anything smaller than themselves. However, humans have found a way of repelling the monsters that command the areas. They are the Hunters. The most respected men besides the king of Minegarde. With armour on their backs, weapons of great sizes wielded with greater strength, nerves of steel, quick wits and quicker reflexes, the Hunters are the pioneers of the age. Venturing into the unknown for greedy collectors, troubled farmers or worried locals, they will do anything from gathering rare or important materials to slaying a giant beast that is terrorising the town. It isn't an easy profession. Every Hunter must leave everything behind them, and trust the weapon they grasp. In this land, there are two rules, the first one is that you return a hero, or don't return at all, the second much simpler, hunt or be hunted. Many people go by these rules; so many an organisation was set up to manage the groups. It is known as The Guild. The Guild searches for Hunters and sends them on their way, defending the people, and becoming a legend in their own life. Many people have this dream. Few have the ability to begin the path, and never take it. Even less make it to such a status.

Our story begins in the small village of Kokoto. Founded by a legendary Hunter who slayed a massive beast alone, finally impaling his sword within the monsters skull. To this day, the sword remains in the ground, where the beast became stone, and the village grew around the area. The Hunter was appointed chief of the village, and it prospered under his command. Hunters were drawn by the stories of the Hunter, and he assigned them to protect the village. Kokoto became one of the safest places in the land, with many Hunters honoured to take on quests from the legend himself. Wyverns eventually learnt that humans now ran the area, and they wanted to keep it that way.

This story however, is not about this legend, as it has been twisted and changed so many times, the original has been lost over time. This story is of his descendant. Her parents were lost by a Wyvern whilst travelling from a nearby town, so he took it upon himself to raise his grand daughter. He trained her with skills that a Hunter needed, passed down his old armour and weapons to her. Due to the lack of monsters in the area though, there wasn't much field experience to be had. Her dream was to become a legend. Her name is Amy, and this is her story…


	2. Chapter I

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

Amy woke to the sounds of the town bustling in the morning. She yawned, and got out of her bed. She woke with the strange feeling that she had forgotten something. She shook it off and went outside after getting dressed. She went to her grandfather, the Village Chief, ready for another day of training. Since she could walk, she has been trained by her grandfather to become a Hunter. She dreamed of the life of a Hunter, exploring new areas, defending helpless villages from tyrant beings, bent on destruction. Her grandfather helped her in this goal so far, and she felt she was ready for a hunt. Amy walked down the path to her grandfather's house, and was unprepared for the sight before her.

Banners were spread across the room, candles and brightly coloured streamers littered the walls, and a huge banner spread the width of the room reading the words 'Happy Birthday'.

"Who's this for?" she asked

"For you my dear," said the old man, "did you forget your birthday again?"

"I guess," she replied. She never liked her birthdays; she always got pointless gifts that wouldn't help her in her life long goals.

"My dear, I have a special gift for you today, one im sure wont end up in the bottom of your cupboard like the last ones," the Chief said, grinning.

Amy blushed, "you know about them?"

"Yes, but worry not, im sure this will make up for it," he replied. "Everyone, gather round, I have an announcement to make," he said loudly.

The room went quiet. Everyone looked round at the old man as he climbed onto a stool, rising above everyone else. "As you all may know, it is my grand daughter's 18th birthday, and I have a very special gift for her."

Everyone applauded. Amy noticed a man in shining steel armour, wielding a short steel blade, who was not clapping.

"I have received word," the Chief continued, "of a town that is in trouble, and requires a Hunter to rid them of their troubles, and defend them from frequent Wyvern attacks, and we all know of Amy's lifelong dream of becoming a Hunter."

More applause.

"I have trained her since the accident almost 16 seasons ago, and im sure she feels the way I do, that she is ready to leave Kokoto to protect such as the Village of Pokke from their attackers, so my final gift to her is to send her off to the Village of Pokke, so she can realise her dreams of becoming a Hunter"

The crowd applauded louder than ever. Amy felt ecstatic; she was actually going to be a Hunter. She couldn't help but grin.

"Thank you very much," she said happily to her grandfather, "this is the best present ever"

"It gets better," he added, "I want you to have this, and everyone in the village will give you something to help you along your way, and I have Guild representatives to transport you to Pokke."

He handed her a long, thin, wooden case. The dark wood shined with the candlelight, and a big red ribbon on the top added a cheerful touch to the dark case. Opening it, she found a long, slender blade, blood red, with a handle so dark, it seemed to suck the light from around it, and ridges along the top as dark as the handle. Along the handle, by the dark hilt, the words 'Supremacy Blade' were written.

"This is a very powerful sword, forged in the distant region of Schrade, imbued with the power of the dragons that reside there. However, I want you to take your current sword too, as this weapon is far too powerful for you to wield at the moment, but you will know when you are ready for it."

Amy received various gifts from the residents of Kokoto. Armour made from the legendary Wyvern Rathalos, which glistened in reds, browns and blacks in the morning sun, from the armoury, along with thick, furry clothes to protect her from the cold that surrounds Pokke. She received various potions and tools from the store, which would come in handy whilst hunting, a belt with various pockets and straps for carrying the equipment and tools from her neighbour, and a retired Bowgun master provided her with his hunting knife, for carving parts from the monsters she slays.

The Guild representative approached her, "This way please, we must leave immediately," he said in a deep, rough voice.

He led her to a carriage pulled by a huge beast known as Aptonoth, a herbivorous creature used in many ways and harvested for their tender meat. She bade farewell to Kokoto, and stepped inside the carriage.

"Well, look what we have here," said a voice.

Amy looked round, two identical men were sat staring at her.

"Who are you?" she asked rudely.

"That's none of your business, sweetheart," said one of the two, grinning.

"Yeah, none," said the other.

Amy was already beginning to dislike the two. She heard a whip crack, and the wagon started moving. Amy sat at the front of the carriage, avoiding any contact with the two Hunters, and looked out over the landscape. Herds of the herbivorous Aptonoth were grazing peacefully in the fields. All around them, in the distance, mountains pointed up towards the sky, and small shadows could be seen high above them, flying. Amy knew these Wyverns meant no harm at the moment, but knew it wouldn't be long before she was out here hunting their flying cousins.

The path before the Aptonoth stretched for miles over the plains, before disappearing out of view. In the back of the carriage she heard the two Hunters comparing weapons, and talking about previous hunts. From what she heard of the conversation, they worked as a team hunting, as he heard them saying things like 'can you remember when we..' or 'I saved you then'. She wondered if other groups went out together, or if these were the only ones. Pretty soon, the weariness of the journey took over, and she moved to the very back of the carriage, ignoring the Hunters' comments and remarks, picked out her sword, and inspected it.

Its long thin blade reflected light in a bright silver colour, with bone ridges along the top, and a bone handle wrapped in blue ribbon, and a sheath made from the scales of Velociprey, the only real threat in Kokoto these days, the small, blue raptors would often prey on the villages' herd of Aptonoth, only to be met by the many hunters that were starved of battle in the village. Along the metal blade, the word 'Dragon' was inscribed, as this was her weapons name, giving it a name that exuded power and intimidation, it was the perfect weapon for her.

"That's a mighty fine weapon"

"Huh?" Amy looked up.

"I apologize for our earlier behaviour," said one of the Hunters, "My name is Koju, and this is my brother, Kujo. We also travel to Pokke, to help them with their problem."

Amy's dislike of the brothers faded a little, 'there's no need to be impolite,' she thought.

"I'm Amy" she said.

"We heard what the Kokoto Chief said, you've never hunted before?" Koju asked.

"Well, nothing major, a few Velociprey, that's all really. Hes a bit over protective," Amy replied.

"Well stick with us, we'll get you through safely," Koju said kindly.

"And we could use some female company," Kujo said eagerly, looking her up and down.

Amy and Koju both shot him disapproving looks.

"Well, I'm tired," Amy said, whilst stretching, "Keep him off me, or he'll have no hands," she added to Koju.

"I'll try," he joked.

Amy laid amongst her belongings, trying to get comfortable, which was hard considering what Kujo said earlier. However, she soon found herself drifting off.

Amy woke to the sound of rain hitting the carriage, and thunder rumbling, accompanied by flashes of lightning.

"How long have I been asleep?" she yawned.

"Too long," he said, grinning, "no, about an hour," he added.

"And this happened?" she asked, looking through a flap in the material, to the waterlogged plains, now devoid of any creatures.

"Yeah, isn't it amazing how quickly things change round here?" Kujo added, grinning at Amy.

A bolt of lightning hit the ground near them, causing them all to jump backwards.

"Wow, look at that!" Koju exclaimed

A streak of white was moving fast along the plains, lightning was striking all around it, but amazingly, not hitting it.

"Kirin!" Kujo yelled.

"Who?" asked Amy.

"Kirin," Koju said, "A mythical beast, so rare people doubt its existence. Do you know how much we'd get for its parts?"

Kujo giggled, "Lets kill it!"

"Wait," Amy said.

"Stop the carriage," Koju yelled to the Guild representative, ignoring Amy.

"No, carry on!" Amy shouted, "What do you think you're doing?" she turned to the brothers, "You can't kill it, it isn't causing any trouble."

"But its rare, think of the money we'd get from it," Kujo said, with a maniacal glint in his eye.

The carriage stopped, and the brothers got out, and strapped their huge hammers to their backs. Trying not to think of what the Kirin would look like after such a potentially brutal attack at the hands of the hammers, she quickly grabbed her blade and jumped out of the carriage.

"Ahh, the little fox is joining us," Kujo sniggered.

"No im not," Amy protested, "I'm protecting an innocent being from slaughter."

"And you want to be a Hunter?" Koju looked at her, puzzled.

"Yes, but only for monsters that are causing trouble, not for the rarest ones which will fetch the most money," she replied.

"Ok Amy," said Koju, "We wont ask you to join us in the hunt, but you aren't stopping us from hunting such a prize ourselves!"

Amy felt a sharp pain on the side of her face, as the force of the blow knocked her face down in the mud. Through the rain, she saw the Kirin, standing tall and proud, like a unicorn, its horn pointing straight up, its entire body glowing white.

"Run!" Amy yelled at the creature, as Koju and Kujo stepped around her to the creature. She stood up with a rock in her hand and threw it at the Kirin, causing it to turn and run, disappearing as a white streak in the distance.

Koju and Kujo turned round angrily, and got back in the carriage. Panting, Amy followed.

"I can see us not getting along, Amy," said Koju, as the carriage continued its journey to Pokke.

The night passed with no incidents, Amy waited for the brothers to fall asleep before settling down herself, wondering if all Hunters are like this. Her sleep was uneasy, she dreamt of a world full of Hunters, all of them more like mercenaries, after the rarest beasts as trophies to collect and kill, proving themselves above other Hunters.

She woke to a chill blowing through the wagon, as the Guild representative announced they had reached a Guild-operated changeover post, where they had to wait a few hours, so they could re-supply, and stretch their legs. Amy stepped outside, and looked around. They were at the foot of a vast mountain range, huge grey peaks stretched upwards, turning white with snow as they got higher. The changeover post was a small building, with a small rising from it, topped by a huge flag bearing the Guild emblem, a sword with two warwheat stalks wrapping the blade. Amy stepped inside, and took a look around, monster heads decorated the walls, and a furry hide was acting as a rug.

Sickened, Amy stepped back outside, enjoying the cool breeze, soothing her aching body from the downfalls of such a journey. She looked over at the brothers, inspecting their weapons and comparing them to the hammers on display. They looked over at Amy, and she shot them a dirty look, and returned to taking in the view.

A huge creature, covered in thick brown fur and armed with huge tusks came down the path that led into the mountain range, with a man in the same armour as their Guild companion atop it, pulling a huge wagon.

"Our ride is here," their Guild accomplice said.

Amy climbed back into the carriage, followed by the brothers. She then moved to the front of the carriage, feeling a hand on her thigh as she passed. She ignored it and continued to the front, sitting with her lags dangling over the front of the carriage.

"What is that thing?" she asked the Guild member.

" A Popo," he answered, "they live around the village of Pokke, and in the entire mountain range. They are more suited to the environment than Aptonoth, they would freeze to death up here."

"Oh," said Amy, "I've never seen one around Kokoto before, we've never even heard of them."

"Of course not," the man chuckled, "they'd overheat and probably die before they got within 10 leagues of Kokoto."

Amy giggled along with the man. He was much kinder than the brother.

"Look, its going to be a while before we get to the village, why don't you go to the back and rest for a bit?" the representative suggested.

Amy woke again to freezing cold wind, as the Guild representative opened the flap again.

"If you all have warm clothes, I suggest you put them on, it can get pretty chilly up here," he told them.

Amy saw Kujo's eyes light up. She proceeded to the back of the wagon, and attempted to build a makeshift wall, but couldn't do much due to the lack of resources, having only a knee high blockade. As she removed the armour from her body, she tried not to show the brothers much, and tried not to look at them, but she could feel there eyes on her body, burning into her with their disgusting primal instincts, heard their little giggles as she slowly and uncomfortably removed more armour. She found her warm clothing quickly and got dressed, and struggled past the two brothers back to the front of the carriages, feeling their hands patting and rubbing her as she passed. She sat watching as the carriage moved along mountain passes, she couldn't help but look into the deep ravines and drops they passed.

"Ahh, Mafumofu armour, you're a lucky girl," said the rough voice of the Guild representative, "you know that was made in Pokke, don't you?"

Amy grinned, thinking it would be useful up here, so no doubt they had made it.

They passed from the rocky path to one covered in snow, and the snow started falling. Amy loved seeing the snow, in Kokoto it fell very rarely, and as a child she would play with the other children of the village.

The snow soon got bad. Ice-cold winds blew around them, and the snow fell thick and fast, forcing Amy to retreat back with the two brothers. The wind howled around them, leaking through the material of the carriage, forcing it to rattle and move, Amy was sure it would come off.

The howls got louder, and Amy was sure it had started roaring at them. Then the carriage stopped. 'We've probably just took shelter,' Amy thought, but realised the wind was still battering against the carriage.

Suddenly, the top of the carriage was torn off, and the carriage toppled over, throwing Amy and the twins into the snow. Amy stood up, snow falling from her face and looked round. She could see the twins laid face down in the snow, and a dark lump in the distance. She cautiously stepped towards it. It was covered in thick brown fur, with four thick legs. Amy immediately thought it was a Popo, but realised there were no tusks. Stepping around it, she saw a large gash in its side, with a thick river of blood, flowing onto the snow, where the two were fighting for colour domination. Amy moved to where its head should be, and saw just a red puddle disappearing into the snow, and the muscles and windpipe protruding from what was left of the neck.

Overcome with fear and adrenaline, Amy rushed back to the carriage, and after searching in the quickly deepening snow, found what she was looking for, her sword, Dragon. Strapping it to her back, she realised the bodies of Koju and Koju were gone, and saw them stood back to back, a few metres away.

The ground shook, and a deafening roar filled her ears. After recovering, she looked up to see a dark shape stood by the mountain wall, and with nothing behind her but a long, dark drop, she suddenly felt very unsafe.

As she unsheathed her blade, the snow settled as quickly as it had started, and she saw their attacker. Standing almost twice as tall as her, leaning on its front legs, which ended in huge paws, with extensions growing back up from the other side, Amy guessed these were wings. The beast had huge rear legs, the muscles threatening to burst from the leathery skin that covered them. Its tail was a thick, muscular extension protruding from the monsters behind, ending in a point, covered in thick scales, like the rest of its body. Its back was an array of pointed gatherings of scales, forming a thick carapace. Its head was as big as the twins' hammers put together, with a huge, tooth filled jaw, each as sharp as Amy's blade, and judging by the ribs protruding from the beasts torso, it was hungry.


	3. Chapter II

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

The Guild representative stood up, feet from the beast's mouth, with his sword drawn, and charged at the monster, only to have his sword bounce off of the monsters orange and blue striped carapace. As he regained his composure, the beast turned and engulfed the mans head with its jaw, his teeth making short work of his armour, and blood was soon seen dripping from the holes in the steel clothing. The monster threw the remains of the body, after severing the torso through the middle, and swallowed the mouthful of head and body. The remains landed in the snow a few metres away, and several vital organs along with a stream of blood fell out.

The twins yelled and charged at the colossal beast, only to be met by swinging paws that slammed them into the mountain wall. It then turned to them and charged with amazing speed for its size, and after the twins dodged, slammed into the wall with the force of a battering ram. Snow fell from the plateau above, covering the beast. It simply shook it off and turned to face Amy. The monster dug its paw into the snow, and hurled a huge ball of frozen water at the Huntress, only to have it dodged as she dived into the snow.

As Amy looked up, she saw Koju's hammer impact with the monsters ribcage, as Kujo hit its bottom jaw in an uppercut motion. The beast roared as the twins dodged out of the way, and prepared to attack again. Kujo began a charge at the beast, but it quickly dodged and swiped him with its tail. As its spin came to a halt, Koju brought his hammer down on its head, driving it into the snow.

The beast recovered quickly, thanks to the thick blanket of snow on the ground. Amy took this chance to begin scaling the mountain wall, in hopes of getting to the plateau above, so she could look for some sign of the path to the village they were headed for. She knew this armour was more for warmth than protection, and she really didn't fancy herself as a monsters dinner, and besides, the twins weren't doing too bad.

Her climb didn't last long however, as another charge met the wall, and she lost her footing on the icy rocks, falling to the beast waiting below. Amy landed on her back on the monsters back, with excruciating pain as her back met the rough surface of the monster's carapace. She quickly rolled off and ended up face down in the snow. She felt the beast move away, after the brothers, no doubt. Amy looked up to see them locked in combat with the monster, using their identical appearances to confuse the monster.

The monster swiped at Kujo with its tail, knocking him into the wall of the mountains, where he slid to the floor and laid motionless. Koju yelled at the sight of his brother, and slammed the monster in the side of the head with his huge hammer, and saw the monster's jaw hanging limply at an odd angle. As the beast tried recovering, Koju ran back and helped Amy to her feet, and shouted, "What are you playing at? We need your help!"

Amy looked at him and nodded, and they both charged at the monster. Amy stopped as she saw it flick its head around and up, and a sickening click as the beast re-located its dislocated jaw. Koju had just reached the monster and pummelled its elbow with his hammer, knocking it down. Amy saw this chance and charged, sword at the ready.

The beast, seeing this new threat, dodged Amy's swipe, and sent her rolling towards the edge of the platform. Recovering, Amy saw Koju lying on the floor where the beast was, as a shadow loomed over her. Looking up, she saw a mouth lined with teeth, dripping blood and saliva onto her body, and felt its hot, rancid breath fill her nose, making her want to vomit.

It reared its head back and Amy shut her eyes, waiting to feel its teeth sink into her body.

But she didn't. Looking around, she saw the beast lying on the ground next to her, shaking its head. The twins both stood over her, and Kujo was picking up his hammer. It seemed he had thrown his hammer at the monsters head, knocking it senseless.

"Get up, sweetie," Kujo said.

Standing up, Amy picked up her sword, the blade dragging along the floor as she did so, and looked at the monster. Koju and Kujo approached with their hammers over their shoulder, ready to deal the final blow. Amy noticed the beast regain its focus, and look at the approaching Hunters. Realizing what was happening, she screamed, "Move!"

It was too late, in one swift motion, Kujo was hit by its tail with the force of a stampede, and Koju's leg was soon filled with razor sharp teeth. Shaking its monstrous head, it removed Koju's leg, leaving a bloody, tattered mess, muscles and veins trailed as the monster turned as Kujo fell to he ground. It quickly swallowed the leg, and then turned to its owner.

It reared its head, and for the second time, its final blow was interrupted, this time by Amy's blade, as it severed the tongue and removed some of the monsters teeth. The great beast yelped and jumped back in pain, and let out an ear splitting roar.

The beast's eyes went from a cold, ice blue to a fierce, angry red. Veins pulsed on is forearms and head, adding red to its orange and blue palette. It quickly charged, and Amy and Kujo barely managed to dodge. It got its target though. Koju's screams of pain were soon silenced, and all that was left of the Hunter was a memory, some armour fragments and a puddle of blood with chunks of flesh mingled in.

Enraged, Kujo charged recklessly at the beast, and smashed it in the head, his weapon bouncing from his hands, he proceeded to punch and kick any part he could reach. Looking at the situation, the sadness left Amy, remembering how they were in the carriage, started to walk away from Kujo, as the monster slammed him into the wall beside her, she saw the beast bite at Kujo, and watched as its head came back, with Kujo's windpipe trailing back to his bloody, mauled neck.

Amy sheathed her weapon and started to run, as the monster looked around for its prey. It saw her running and charged at her. Thinking quickly, she grabbed the Guild representative's shield, turned around and dived into the snow, covering her back with the shield. She felt the monster slide over her. She ran back to the remains of the carriage, remembering the flash bombs she got from the shop owner in Kokoto. Searching franticly in the snow, she found nothing. Looking for the monster, she saw it charging at her again, and put her shield behind the carriage.

The beast shattered through the carriage and collided with Amy's shield, knocking her back. She soon felt the lack of land under her feet, and realised the monster had knocked her off the cliff top. She saw her shield had been split in half, then saw the monster falling beside her. 'If I'm going down, you're coming with me,' she thought.

The beast stretched out his wings, attempting to fly off, so Amy launched the two halves of the shield at the closest wing, tearing the webbing, the lack of drag sent the monster into a barrel roll. After it regained it's composure, its claws swiped at Amy, tearing the left leg of her trousers, causing it to float down above them, until it was lost to the return of the snowstorm. As the snow whirled about them, paws kept swiping at Amy, sending her into spins and rolls, tearing her clothes. The cold seeped into the gaps; her leg was already going numb.

Amy knew there was no way of getting out alive, so she instead focused on how to bring the unidentified monster with her. Wind and paws, snow and ice swirled around her, making her lose her concentration, then it hit her. Its ribs. They were the weakest part, they must be. Being so skinny, yet armoured on the back, she would have to go for its ribs, she'd probably die in the process, but at least she didn't give up. She may even puncture a lung or even its heart; she knew there was nothing to lose.

Unsheathing her blade, she swiped away its huge, clawed paws that kept swiping at her, slicing the skin on the underside, and aimed a thrust at the monsters ribs. The blade hit, but the sword couldn't get through the bones that protected its vital organs. Three more attempts yielded no results, and she could see paleness rising below her. The ground! She knew she had no time, and franticly thrust at the monsters ribs, causing several more shallow wounds. Amy used her foot to kick away from the monster and closed her eyes.

She felt the ground suddenly below her, felt several ribs crack and excruciating pain throughout her entire body. She felt the coldness of the snow seeping in through her ruined armour, and her cheek was going numb. She heard the monster roaring weakly beside her, and shakily stood up. Blood was flowing from beneath it, and she saw leaves and branches slowly turning red.

'I am one lucky person,' Amy thought, realizing the beast had landed on a tree, impaling itself, it was now roaring, moaning in pain. Amy couldn't stand to see it in such pain, and stumbled back to her sword. And dragged the long blade back to the monster. It looked at her, it knew what was coming. Amy raised the blade, and brought it down through the creature's neck, severing it from the body.

Amy heard the beast's body empty its lungs through the torrent of blood, with a sickening gargle, and that, with the adrenaline leaving her blood and the cold cutting deeper, vomited into the snow.

Her vision went blurry, and, looking down, she saw her gloves covered in blood, and lost her vision, and felt the cold close in around her.


	4. Chapter III

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

Amy spent the next few days drifting in and out of consciousness. Aware of the warmth around her, she was sure she had passed on. During her moments of consciousness, se saw blurry images of people standing over her. She realised she was either safe or beyond damage now, and didn't rush herself awake.

She finally woke, her eyes straining against the sunlight flowing in them, she saw a figure standing over her. The figure was small and elderly.

"Ah, you're awake," Said the voice, "there, there, take it easy, you're very lucky, you know."

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"You were attacked," the figure replied, "you only just survived. We heard the roars from here, and by the time our hunters got there, you were unconscious, and there was a lot of blood. You're lucky you passed out where you did."

"Not many people survive Tigrex attacks in just their Mafumofu," came a deep voice, "especially such a ferocious one as that one."

"A…What?" Amy was confused.

"A Tigrex. An aggressive and powerful Wyvern. Several of them live around this area," said the first voice, "anyway, let me help you up."

A pair of hands grabbed Amy and sat her up, and she surveyed the room. There was a large box on the floor at the other end of the room, a cupboard beside her bed, and an archway leading to another room was between them. The door stood opposite her, and the one window on her left let light into the room. She was joined by three people in the room, two looked like hunters, one dressed in armour similar to the Rathalos armour she was given, but shone a bright silver, the other in armour that was as black as her grandfathers sword. Her sword! She remembered the attack, the Guild member being brutally killed and tossed aside, Koju's leg being torn from his body, Kujo being decapitated.

"Where is my stuff?" Amy asked impatiently

"We brought your sword and armour with us when we rescued you," Said the hunter in black armour.

"What about my trunk? It's got my armour in it. And my other sword." Amy was getting upset.

"There wasn't a trunk, we just found you and the Tigrex."

"But the carriage, and the Guild member, and the other Hunters.." Amy started, "..We fell, the Tigrex and me, the carriage must still be up there."

"Well its not safe to go up there for anyone, especially you," said the elderly woman, "now, tell us your name dear, and why you went after a Tigrex so under geared."

"My name is Amy, I come from Kokoto, I'm a Hunter, responding to a letter my grandfather received, and that Tigrex attacked us, I didn't go after it," Amy replied.

"Ahh, the new Hunter," the elderly woman said, "well, it seems you need more rest, come and see me in a few days."

A few days later the three strangers stood in the room by Amy's bed.

"My wounds, what happened to them?" Amy asked.

"Wounds?" the elderly woman replied, puzzled.

"Yes, I remember, looking down at my hand, and it was covered in my blood," she answered.

The woman chuckled, "no, my dear, that was the Tigrex's blood."

"Really? I was so sure."

"No my dear, and we were conscious when we got there," said the old woman, grinning, "Anyway, I don't believe I have introduced myself, or my companions. I am the Village Chief of Pokke, the village you are in now. These are Aaron and Laura, our resident Hunters, and your rescuers," the Chief said, "now, sorry my dear, but there is an urgent matter you must attend to, and, seeing as you have recovered, we must go straight to business. A Blangonga has made its presence known in the absence of the Tigrex, and poses a threat to us all. We need you to slay it for us."

"Blangonga? What's that?" Amy asked.

"A Primatius that lives in the mountains, leader of the Blango's. It's a fierce monster, but you should be able to handle it," Laura informed her, "why don't you stop by our house, and you can have some of my old armour, seeing as you have no suitable armour."

Laura led Amy to her house, where she received armour made from the monster she must now hunt, the Blangonga.

"Its not terribly strong, but it will do, and you will find it warm against the cold too. Now off you go, and good luck," the female veteran said.

"wait." It was Aaron, Laura's hunting partner, "take these, I know you have no money, so have these." He handed her a handful of items, which she packed into a pocket on her belt, now one of the few gifts she had from Kokoto. "Im sure you will find them all useful, I have also paid your contract for this quest, but after you receive the reward, you'll be left to fend for yourself."

Amy began to walk down the path that would lead her to the Blangonga, looking back to see the chief talking to Laura and Aaron, and watched her walk down the trail to the mountains.

The trail was hard to navigate. The uneven surface was bad enough, without the layer of ice that encased it. Many times, Amy fell, landing in a puddle, or bruising herself along the way.

Eventually, the path started to climb, looking ahead; she saw the mountains looming over her, knowing of the cold that lay ahead. She wrapped the Blangonga fur tightly around her, and pressed on. She soon felt snow around her feet, and it gradually got deeper.

Soon enough, the snow was knee-deep, but the thick fur of the Blangonga kept out the cold, and she travelled on. Looking ahead, she noticed the path branching off back down the mountain, and left it. After taking a moment to observe her surroundings, she thought to get higher ground, where she could get a better view.

Seeing the cliff face before her, she immediately started to climb it. It was a tough climb, the icy rocks and cold, harsh wind kept making her slip, and lose her footing on several occasions. To make matters worse, the unimaginable amount of snow on any rocks that jutted out made it impossible for her to grab them straight away, so she had to brush the snow off before advancing.

Finally, she reached the top of the cliff, and hauled herself up. After taking a few minutes to get her breath back, she stood up and looked around. She was on a wide shelf, behind her, the mountain continued to rise, so thick with snow and ice that climbing it was out of the question without the right equipment. To her right, the shelf continued, narrowing as it went, around the mountain, and to her left, the shelf ended. As she gazed out in front of her, she took in the beauty of the mountains, their white peaks, the green of the trees and grass that grew here; it was a sight to behold.

In moments, a snowstorm blew about her, drawing the fur of the Blangonga around her, resolved to cross the narrow shelf. Flattening herself to the wall, she cautiously stepped out onto the narrow ledge, using her foot to send snow from the shelf tumbling to the abyss below, ensuring a sure footing on the rocks. Time seemed to stand still, and still she pressed on. Visibility was so low now, she could barely see a few feet of the wall beside her, and her waist disappeared into the white oblivion that surrounded her. She didn't dare to deviate from the wall, as death was sure to follow if she did, and instead pressed on.

Unknown to her, the shelf ended a while ago, and she pressed on, hugging the wall. She reached a small structure, and after observing it closely, she guessed it was an old, abandoned, ruined campsite. Small boxes were covered in snow; no doubt they used to hold all sorts of items. Several of the supports were ruined, and one small, measly piece of material covered a small section of the tent.

Then she heard it, a weak noise on the air. Struggling to look through the snow that whirled about her, she drew her sword and stepped slowly forwards. It came again, it sounded like an animal in pain. She stepped slowly forwards, and saw a Popo, laid on the floor, its left hind leg removed, the blood was frozen. She stepped forwards to inspect, and guessed it had been attacked, but the blizzard drew its attacker away.

Tears formed in her eyes as she drew her blade across the helpless creature's throat, its last moan disappearing into the roars of the wind. Sheathing her blade and drawing her Hunter's knife, she quickly skinned the Popo and removed its tusks, aswell as carving a large amount of flesh from the monsters carcass, and returned to the abandoned campsite.

She used the Popo hide to create a huge canopy for the tent, with enough to fashion a bed of sorts, and the tusks were useful in repairing the support poles. She returned to the Popo and brought its ribs back to the tent, where she made a fireplace, which would protect the flames from the melting snow. She inspected the item boxes, finding nothing but dried herbs and broken tools, neither of which would be useful, so she broke up the box and created a fire.

Pulling her hood back and unbuttoning her coat, she huddled by the fire, letting it warm her through. She made a skewer using wood from the remains of the box, and cut up the Chunk of Popo meat, fashioning herself a Popo kebab, which she ate hungrily.

Settling down in her makeshift bed, her armour hanging from the support poles, leaving her in her shirt and shorts, she pulled the thick Popo fur around her and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Images of her confrontation with the Tigrex played in her mind, the carnage, the bloody remains of the Guild member being casually thrown aside, Koju's leg being removed with ease, then being swallowed by the monster, Kujo being brutally decapitated, and the Tigrex impaling itself on the tree as it landed, and the look of sadness in its eyes as Amy beheaded the monster that almost killed her.

Amy woke with the sun beaming through the holes in her tent. Stretching, she thought of the Popo kebabs she'd be having for dinner, when she heard a grunting noise outside. She quietly stepped to the door of the tent, and opened it slightly. She immediately wished she had dressed beforehand, as ice cold winds rushed in and replaced the warmth of the tent. Shivering, she saw a small, white, furry creature pass by her tent, followed by two others. She guessed these were the Blango that the Blangonga leads. Then she heard a deep bellow from high above her, and the Blango turned and leapt into the air.

Quickly dressing and grabbing her belt and sword, she stepped outside and pulled her hood up. Looking up, she saw what seemed to be a plateau, about five metres higher than where she stood; the only thing between them was a rock face thick with smooth, glistening ice.

Wrapping her belt around her waist and fastening it, and strapping her weapon to her back, she looked around for a means to climb the rock face. She ran back to the tent and grabbed the few remaining strands of rope and smaller Popo ribs, along with unburnt wood. Tying each rib to the wood, and sharpening the ribs with her Hunter's knife, she used her axes to pierce the ice, allowing her to climb up it.

The climb tired her, and as she reached the top, she caught her breath. Seeing four of the Blango's she immediately lost hope, then she saw the larger Blango, with huge whiskers and fangs the size of her arms, it hit her. The Blangonga. As it crouched, preparing to leap to a peak ten metres away, Amy quickly compacted some snow in her hand and launched it at the monster.

The snowball hit the Blangonga in its ribs, and it turned to face her. Expecting a bellow, it simply nodded at two of its minions, and they leapt to the ledge below. It then stared at Amy, its cold, black eyes, surveying its attacker.

The two Blango appeared behind Amy, grunting and roaring, as the four Blango closed in on their prey. Thinking quickly, any drew a device from her bag and threw it into the air, then dived to the ground. Amy heard the Flash Bomb detonate, dazing anything that was within its range. Looking up, Amy saw the Blangonga, unfazed, as it ran at her.

Amy charged, weapon drawn at the oncoming Primatius. It leapt into the air, so Amy pointed her weapon skyward, slicing the monster's rear left leg, causing blood to rain down onto Amy's brilliant white armour. The monster landed ungracefully, rolling due to its injured leg. Amy stood up, dragging her weapon, her arms still tired from the climb. Both she and the beast recovered in equal time, and it began bounding towards her. Again, Amy rolled beneath it and pointed her weapon up, this time completely severing its right hind leg. Blood poured onto her face as the monster landed, whimpering, attempting to drag itself along the floor.

Approaching the beast from behind, Amy drove her sword deep into the side of the white beast, the rough edge of her blade adding to the injuries, puncturing organs and blood vessels, causing a crimson river to flow to her feet, along the side of the monster. It puddled on the floor, its warmth causing snow to melt, small amounts of steam rose and Amy could smell the beast's life force flowing to the ground.

Suddenly, a huge white arm came out of nowhere, sending the Huntress sprawling across the snowy plateau, her sword still embedded in the white tyrant's carcass. Standing up, she realized the Blango had recovered, and was surrounded by four of the Blangonga's minions, enraged at their master's death, they each let out a small bellow, followed by grunts, and circled Amy. Assessing the situation, four Blango's, one human, unarmed, she knew she wouldn't survive without her trusty sword.

Amy charged at one of the monsters, her fist colliding with the side of the monster's face, pressing its cheek against its teeth, causing blood to trickle from its mouth, she ran to its side and kicked it, knocking it down. She dodge another one's swipe, and countered with her own, sending its own fang to the back of its throat, causing it to choke on it. Another Blango approached from her left, and launched itself, mouth first, at the human. Amy grabbed it's mouth and they fell to the floor, the monster struggling against her, drool dripping onto her armour, she raised her foot into the beast's ribs, then stood up, and brought her knee up to the monster's chin, followed quickly by a powerful punch to the top of its head, causing severe damage to its brain, it fell limply.

Two Blango remained, so Amy drew her short Hunter's knife, not made for attacking monsters, more for carving and crafting, it was her only hope. One of the Blango leapt at her, so she pushed the short blade deep into its throat, and struggled to recover the blade, was again knocked to her feet, weaponless, facing a Blango.

It leapt at her fiercely, and Amy raised her arms to grab the creature's mouth, she felt a pain in her arm, looking at it, she saw the Blango's fang buried within the flesh of her arm. Yanking her arm, she pulled the tooth from its owner's mouth, still buried in her arm. Clutching her arm, she dodged an attack from the Blango, and grabbed its other fang, quickly pulled it from it mouth. The Blango jumped back in pain, and let out a huge bellow, causing Amy to cover her ears, and the Blango ran at her. Quickly recovering, she rolled to the side and approached the Blango. As it turned to face her, she thrust its tooth into the underside of its neck, bursting its windpipe. The white beast struggled for a minute, and then stopped after Amy kicked the fang protruding from the monsters neck, sending the sharp fang into the beast's brain.

Amy took a moment to catch her breath, then recovered her Hunter's knife and her sword, and cleaned them both on the Blango beside her. Looking at her arm, she saw the Blango fang still in her arm, she pulled it out and let out a little whimper of pain, and cautiously rolled up her sleeve. The wound was deep, and her blood was pouring down her arm. Looking in a pouch on her belt, she found a small bag, and inside, crushed up herbs. With a sigh of relief, she grabbed a pinch of the herbs and stuffed it into her wound, and wrapped a bandage around the hole in her arm. Tying the bandage off, she felt the herbs effect immediately, acting as a painkiller as well as an accelerated healing agent, causing the blood to clot, sealing the wound to repair the flesh beneath.

"Look out!" came a familiar voice, yelled from afar.

Looking around, she saw a Flash Bomb land in front of her, its timer about to hit zero. Shielding her eyes just as the hammer action activated the flashbug within, a bright flash covered the area. Standing up, Amy saw no less than eight Blango, struggling around as the Flash Bomb burnt into their eyes.

"Catch this!" came the voice again.

Amy looked around to see Laura and Aaron on the peak the Blangonga was aiming at, a rope soaring through the air between them. Amy caught the rope, and the two Hunters crossed the gap, standing on the plateau with Amy.

"The thing with Blango's," Laura began, "is that they always help each other, so we need to finish these then move on quickly."

The three Hunters stood back to back, their three weapons pointing outward to the circle of attacking Blango as they recovered. Amy charged at the closest Blango, and drew her sword in a downward motion over her head, cleaving the beast's skull. Laura dodged an attack at her, and her weapons were furiously hacking into is side, making short work of the skin and bone, as torrents of lightning erupted from them with each strike. Amy watched as Aaron's huge black and pink blade slashed through a Blango, black lightning erupting form the point of contact.

A Blango, from nowhere, knocked Aaron down, and then as he dodged another attack, rolled off the plateau, left dangling, his fingers were all that were stopping him from falling into oblivion.

"Aaron!" Laura yelled, throwing one of her swords at the Blango, its double tip piercing the monster's flesh, it fell to the floor.

"Amy!" Laura shouted, "Keep them off us!"

Amy ran to Laura's back, attacking a Blango with a horizontal slash that removed the Blango's bottom jaw, causing blood to spill to the already soaked floor. Another Blango saw the opening and charged, and as Amy recovered, launched herself, feet first, at the beast, sending it tumbling from the plateau.

Laura managed to pull Aaron up, and he swung his colossal blade at an approaching Blango, slicing through the left side of its face and left arm, where it fell clumsily to the floor.

Two Blango remained, and one was charging at Amy. She moved her blade in an upward slice, splitting the monsters bottom jaw and skull, leaving its body to fall limply. Laura threw her remaining sword at the last Blango, piercing its skull, the thunder element effecting its brain, sending currents through the nervous system of the young Primatius, causing it to spasm and twitch, before limply flopping to the floor.

Amy walked to the Blango and pulled the short sword out, and inspected it. The handle was made from a strong metal, the hilt covered in short, white fur. From the hilt, the blade immediately split at a ninety-degree angle, and then reversed the angle as two blades pointed away from the hilt, each one coloured a deep purple. Passing the blade to its owner, Amy couldn't help but ask, "What is it made from?"

Laura chuckled, "It's made from Kirin horns, I call them Kirin Bolts."

"Kirin, you killed the Kirin, after I stopped those monsters from slaying it?" Amy could feel the anger rising in her.

"No, no," Laura began, "a while ago, we were on a hunt, and we found where it was nesting, and it sheds its horn, you see. It is continually growing within the outer casing, and when it's too big, the outer casing simply drops off. We found about four of the horns, and I picked them up, and brought them back, along with a handful of its fur that we found on a bush. I then had rare Carbalite Ore imported to reconstruct and support them, and made them into weapons."

"Oh right," said Amy, calming down, "what about his?"

"Mine?" said Aaron, "it's made from the rarest parts from a Pink Rathian, then I sent the parts to Schrade, to have the power of Dragons embedded in it, and I got this back. I call it the Blushing Dame."

"Schrade?" Amy asked, "that's where my other sword is from, the one that I lost. My grandfather had it crafted for my birthday."

"Come on, let's get off this mountain, before the Blango return." Aaron said, and headed back to Pokke.

"Wait, Amy, skin the Blangonga and get its whiskers, we need to get you a rope made back in Pokke," Laura told the young Huntress.

Obeying, Amy skinned the beast and carefully removed its whisker, then, throwing the hide over her shoulder, followed the two Hunters back to the village.


	5. Chapter IV

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

Back in Pokke village, Amy had her wounds tended to, and handed the Blangonga hide and whiskers to the crafter, to have a rope made from the brilliant white fur. She then returned to her room at the inn, where the Village chief was waiting for her.

"Thank you Amy," she began, "The village is safe for now, that Blangonga has troubled us before, with its pack, but im sure they wont be here for a while now. I heard you repaired the outpost, we have been meaning to do that for some time now, but never got to it, so again, I must thank you. Surely you are tired, so I will leave you with this reward and be on my way."

She put a small pouch on the cupboard beside her, and left the room. Amy removed her armour and climbed into the bed, wrapping herself in the thick, warm sheets and drifted off to sleep.

Waking with a rumbling stomach, Amy slipped on some trousers the inn had provided and proceeded down to the social area. It was bustling with people, some maids keeping drinks flowing, people who had just finished working on the various farms and mines around Pokke, wanting a drink to cure the aches and pains. In the centre was a huge table, surrounded by benches, heavily weighed down by a huge buffet, freshly caught and cooked fish, meat, vegetables were all on offer to the residents.

Amy stepped over and grabbed a few pieces of fruit and a kebab, and found a corner where she could eat quietly, and read the books she had brought from her room. She researched all of the monsters of the area, as well as the regions that surrounded Pokke, and the legendary Elder Dragons.

Looking around, she thought of Kokoto, how it was doing, what her grandfather was up to now, without her heavy training regime, when a voice brought her back to reality.

"Wakey wakey," said the voice.

Looking up, Amy saw Laura standing over her, wearing an ankle length dress, and sat down opposite her.

"Brushing up, are we?" she asked, kindly.

"Yeah," Amy replied, "I figured if im going to be here a while, I'd better know what's what, instead of relying on you and Aaron all the time."

Laura laughed, "Yes, I suppose that's twice we've saved you now, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Amy replied, "You must be getting sick of it."

"No, not really," The experienced female said, "we used to be the same, always getting into situations, other Hunters coming to help us, but we pressed on, we didn't let it bother us, and now look at us."

Amy laughed. Laura was easy to talk to; she was kind, helpful and understanding.

"Here," Laura started, "I'll get us some drinks."

Laura left for the bar, and came back with Aaron, in his shirt and trousers, and a tray of drinks. The three Hunters drank and talked about monsters, reliving Laura's and Aaron's previous hunts, and Amy telling them about Kokoto.

The crafter came into the inn, carrying a bright white rope, and after locating the trio, handed it to Amy. Amy inspected the rope, feeling its strength, its durability, yet it was so light.

Suddenly, the doors were slammed open, and a man entered. His clothes were ragged and torn, his face flustered. There was blood on his arms and he had a look of panic all over his face.

"The Desert…" he panted, "my convoy…destroyed…two of them…horns…" He passed out, shuddering.

Rushing to her room, Amy quickly pulled on her armour, fastened her belt and strapped her Katana to her back, and rushed back to the inn, where Aaron and Laura were stood, fully armoured, ready to leave.

People were tending to the injured man, and Aaron came up to Amy.

"Here, its hot out there, you'll need this." He handed her a flask, filled with a clear liquid.

"It'll keep you cool out in the desert," Laura explained.

As they set of down the path, ready to travel to the Desert region, the Chief stopped them.

"A new Hunter has arrived from the town of Dondruma, his name is Shiroha, im sure you will find his experience invaluable."

A tall, broad man stepped out, covered from head to foot in thick, black armour, his huge red lance strapped to his back, his shield in the shape of a Rathalos' tail. His face was covered in numerous scars, which his stubble failed to hide. He had thick black hair, black eyebrows and a crooked nose that looked like it had been broken at least twice. He held a black helmet under his arm, and looked like he meant business.

The four Hunters walked down the trail to the bottom of the mountains, where they could head for the Desert.

The travel out of the mountains passed with no incidents, and soon enough they reached the plains, where they could head south to the Sekumaeya Desert. The further south they got, the hotter and dustier the road became. The grass was soon non existent, only sand.

The Desert was a vast expanse of sand, with a rocky environment in the distance. Fins of sand dwelling animals moved in the sand, just visible as the host moved below the surface, keeping out of the sun that beat down on anything above ground. Slight winds blew about the enormous area, not enough to cool you down, but instead brought a light dust into the air, drying out mouths. The skeletons of unprepared and unsuited monster lay in the sand, slowly being eroded by the dust, as it blew about, stopping for nothing.

"We make for the rocks," Aaron said to the others, "we'll make camp there. It's probably sheltered from the sand, and we might find shade too."

The others nodded in agreement, not wanting to expose their mouths to the harsh Desert winds. The four Hunters set off in the direction of the rocks, not talking to each other, occasionally stopping for a drink of cool liquid, and then pressing on into the sands.

They finally reached the rocky area, sheltered from the unforgiving sun and winds, as the rocks climbed overhead, small plants attempting to live in the area, where the shade kept them from almost certain doom.

"Here, take one of these each," said Aaron, handing each one a bright green flare, "we split up, if you find a suitable spot for camp, light it and throw it into the air, if you see a green flare, go to where it is."

The four Hunters each spread out. Amy set off down a narrow pass, barely wide enough to fit down, almost feeling claustrophobic as the walls closed in beside her, the shadows making it seem like night-time, until she came out in a wide area of sand, not as big as the actual Desert, but almost like a miniature Desert. Looking around, Amy saw nothing but hard packed sand, surrounded by rock formations that towered the area. She ventured out into the small area, exploring this new land. It was eerily silent. Amy treaded carefully, her hand poised by her shoulder, now natural during situations like this, ready to draw her weapon. Her other hand was by her belt, ready to search her pouches for items that could be used.

Looking around as she walked, Amy noticed a shimmering effect in the distance, suddenly thirsty, she ran to the body of water and fell to her knees by the lake, cupping her hands and drinking from the lake, when a green light illuminated the area. Quickly looking up, Amy saw the flare fall in the distance, and a pillar of green smoke was in its place.

Navigating her way through the maze of rocks, the Huntress came to the flare, and Shiroha stood by it. Looking around, she noticed they were in a small place, surrounded almost entirely by towering rocks, except for the narrow pass they had come down, it was the perfect place for Hunters to camp.

Laura was next to emerge from the narrow pass, and after looking around, nodded and then set off back down the pass. She returned as night was falling, carrying dead plants. She set them down and immediately began building a campfire, which was soon crackling cheerfully in the middle of their campsite.

"Any sign of Aaron?" she asked.

Both Hunter shook their heads.

"Never mind, he can manage himself, and we've got the flares we can throw up again later," Laura said, "we need some food, Amy, can you go and get some, I saw a small Apceros herd just outside of here, pick one off and bring back some meat."

Amy set off down the jagged pass, and quickly dispatched an Apceros, the heavily armoured herbivore putting up a bit of a fight, before being silenced. Amy returned with meat, and the Hunters ate and settled down for the night.

Amy woke with the sun in her eyes, and after rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, noticed Aaron had returned.

"Well, im glad someone's up," came a voice.

Looking around, Amy noticed Shiroha, sat on a rock, looking over the sleeping Hunters.

"Been up long?" asked Amy.

"Long enough," the Hunter replied.

"So, Shiroha, tell me about yourself," Amy said.

"Well, I'm from Dondruma..." he began.

"Where's that?" Amy asked.

"Its on the far side of the mountains, then through a swamp," the hunter explained, "once you get through the swamp, you will see Dondruma, a huge town, right on the border between the swamp and a barren wasteland, similar to this desert, but rock and dust instead of sand. The town is always under attack by one thing or another, we see more than most people imagine, it is constantly under repair, and the guild does nothing about it, instead they build huge fortresses for the 'maybe' cases, like Lao-Shan Lung, when they should concentrate on continuous battlefields like Dondruma."

"So what armour is that, and that weapon?" Amy asked curiously.

"Well this spear comes from the king of the Wyverns, Rathalos, I call it 'Red Prominence', imbued with the element of fire, it has served me since my hunting journey began," he replied.

"And your armour?" Amy asked.

"From the Black Gravios, a colossal beast, it wandered upon Dondruma, and was slain by our Hunters, I took its hide and this was crafted for me, as strong and as sturdy as the beast itself, it has never needed repairing, and never will, it is one of my few treasures, and I will never pass it on."

Aaron and Laura began to rise, preparing themselves for the day.

"I found high ground last night," Aaron said, "and I have some idea of what we are hunting. I say we head there, find what we are after and then decide what to do."

The Hunters set off, following Aaron's subtle trail back to the elevated spot, serving as an excellent lookout spot. The four Hunters each took out their binoculars, and surveyed the area, looking for any sign of what they might be after.

"Hey," said Shiroha, "a Diablos, that would fit the description, wouldn't it?"

Amy looked around through her binoculars as the other three talked. She saw nothing but sand, the Desert spread out as far as the eye could see, nothing but flat, sandy wasteland. Several Apceros stood huddled by a rock, swinging their tails madly, something had shaken them up. All of them were looking in one direction, Amy followed their gaze, and saw what had riled the herbivores. One of their herd had been killed, and stood over the carcass was a monster, the colour of the sand, two huge horns protruded from its head, its whole body covered in an extremely thick carapace, its tail ending in a huge double club, it wings were too thick to fly with, it let out a bellow that Amy couldn't hear, and returned to its meal.

"There's another one!" Amy said.

The others ran over, pulling their binoculars out, gazing over the dunes.

"There, by the Apceros," Amy said.

"OK," Aaron said, "here's the plan. We split into two groups, and one takes down one, the other one takes on the other. Do not let them both together, they will wipe the floor with us."

"Hang on a second," Shiroha interrupted, "lets get them both together…"

"No, they will beat us," Aaron argued back.

"No, listen. Diablos' are fiercely territorial, and competitive, if we get them both together, they will go for each other, weaken each other down, maybe even kill one for us, the other one will be weakened, so we can take it down easily."

"I agree," Laura said, "remember when we were out here last time, after that man got lost, we saw two fighting."

"Ok, we lure the two together, then pick them off afterwards," Aaron said.

The team broke into two groups; Laura and Aaron went after one of the Diablos', Shiroha and Amy went after the other.

The Diablos was hard to track. Not only because the wind kept blowing over any footprints it may have made, but the sun burnt any exposed skin, the sand was soft, and hard to walk on, the dust impaired their vision, and any footprints they did find vanished to a disturbed spot of sand.

Soon enough, however, they came across the Diablos' last meal, the Apceros. Shiroha dragged Amy into a small Desert bush, as two Genprey raised their heads at the noise, saw nothing, and returned to the Apceros. The two Hunters observed the Genprey, eating the remains of the Apceros.

"Diablos' never stray too far from food," Shiroha explained, "until they find more, but I doubt it would out here, we've just got to wait for it to come back."

They watched as the Genprey picked at the Apceros, arguing over small chunks of flesh, when suddenly two horns appeared exactly where the Genprey were, impaling them immediately. The Diablos emerged from the sand, and shook off the Genprey carcasses; its horned stained a brilliant red colour, and ate its meal.

Amy and Shiroha slowly approached the Diablos from the rear. Shiroha pointed to Amy's flare, and she lit it, and threw it into the air. The Diablos saw the bright green light, and turned to see the Hunters, weapons drawn, charging at it. It let out a high-pitched scream that stopped them in their tracks, and burrowed into the sand.

"Move!" Shiroha shouted.

Amy ran, and just in time, the Diablos' horns appeared where she had just been stood. The Diablos emerged, Shiroha unsheathed his massive lance, and ran at the Diablos, only to be struck by its tail, and sent sprawling across the sand. Turning to Amy, the Diablos roared and charged at her, to which she reacted with lightning fast reflexes, and rolled out of its way.

The Diablos swung its tail as it came to a halt, preventing any Hunters from approaching. Amy ran over to Shiroha, who was still recovering from the blow, and helped him up. Again, the Diablos burrowed into the floor, and emerged again where they were once stood. Amy sheathed her weapon, as did Shiroha, so they could dodge the Diablos' charges easier. The monstrous creature was quicker than it looked, and could hit some amazing speeds across the Desert floor. As they hit the floor, after diving out of the way of another charge, they saw a green flare in the air, and looked at each other. They both nodded.

Standing up, they both ran in the direction of the flare, the Diablos following them. The Hunters struggled to remain upright on the soft sand, occasionally stumbling forward and losing their balance. The Diablos, however, kept going, remorseless, following the Hunters that interrupted its meal, determined to make them its next course.

As the Hunters ran, Shiroha fell, face down, into the sand. Stopping, Amy saw the Diablos closing in. She grabbed Shiroha's shield, and blocked the charge, the Diablos running over them, Amy noticed its leathery underbelly. Taking note of this potential weak spot, she helped Shiroha to his feet, and continued to run. Looking round, Amy saw the Diablos burying itself in the sand.

"Look out!" she yelled to Shiroha.

She ran to the Hunter and pushed him to the floor, as the Diablos surfaced behind them.

"Look out!" came Laura and Aaron's voices, in unison. The second Diablos emerged just in front of them, towering over them, it looked down at the humans.

Out of nowhere, the Diablos was struck in the head by a huge, club like tail. Ducking under the Diablos, Laura and Aaron helped up Amy and Shiroha, and they ran behind a rock, as the two Diablos' sized each other up.

The two Wyverns locked eyes, and for a moment, did nothing. Then they each let out a high-pitched screech, and charged at each other, their horns locked, and they both attempted to push the other one over, none prevailed, so they both brought their heads back and collided again, one of them letting out a grunt as its feet slipped on the soft sand. It quickly pulled its head back and swung its tail at its opponent, knocking its head to the side. The Diablos recovered, and rammed into the side of the other, making it recoil, and thrust its horns back at its attacker, locking them together, pushing fiercely against the other.

Both Diablos' pushed as hard as they could, and the Hunters could only watch as the two massive beasts engaged in combat with each other, fighting for control of its territory. As the two Diablos pushed, one swung its head, sending the Diablos attached sprawling to the ground by the Hunters

"Move!" Shiroha shouted, "Get out of the way!"

The Hunters moved as the Diablos recovered, only to be sent flying back to the ground, where the Hunters were crouched earlier.

"We need to move, to hide, they could focus on us again if we don't," Shiroha said, keeping his eyes on the quarrelling Diablos'.

They ran to some rocks on the other side of the Diablos', ducking between their legs, dodging as a tail swung from nowhere, sending a cloud of sand into the air.

The Diablos' tail hit its mark, striking its opponents head, sending one of its prized horns flying into the sand, the victim let out a bellow, its breath forming a thick, black cloud at its mouth, as it again charged its opponent. Their horns locked, but the lack of horn on one's head meant the other horn came into contact with thick scales and bone, and slowly began boring into it, eventually drawing blood from the Diablos' head.

Sensing danger, the Diablos twisted its head, sending its two-horned opponent into the sand, then by jerking its head back, cracked the Diablos' iconic horn, evening the battle. The Diablos got up from the sand, and slammed itself into its opponent, protecting its weakened horn, making the Diablos stumble. As it recovered, it brought its tail down on the head of its challenger, removing its damaged horn, making it let out a bellow, the force of which made its opponent cower slightly.

Recomposing itself, the Diablos slammed the monster again, sending it tumbling, and as it recovered, they both slammed into each other, pausing for a moment as their sides struggled against each other, one of the Diablos quickly brought its head around, closing its huge jaw around its opponent's neck. Panicking, the Diablos quickly turned, causing the other tumbling to the sand, its grip released as it tried to regain its bearings.

As it stood, the opposing Diablos sent it sprawling to the floor with another side slam, and approached it, resting its giant foot on the floored beast, it drove its remaining horn deep into the soft flesh of its exposed underbelly, causing the Diablos blood to seep to the floor, extracting a soft whimper as it's side was invaded by the horn. Sensing its advantage, the Diablos continued to thrust its horn into the side of the weakened Wyvern, numerous times.

The Diablos soon went quiet, but the victor let out a deep bellow and continued to ravage the corpse with its horn.

The four Hunter knew what they had to do. They each approached silently, all of them drawing their weapons as they approached the colossal beast. Amy crawled between the monsters legs as it began to eat the flesh of its felled opponent, unaware of the Hunters surrounding it, and the others approached from the side.

Stopping under its throat, she waited for the others to get into position. Laura was stood by its leg, ready to send it to the floor if it started attacking, Aaron was ready to attempt to execute the beast by decapitation, and Shiroha's lance was slowly edging towards the Diablos' eye.

Shiroha thrust his lance into the monsters eye, Amy's blade pierced the throat of the Wyvern, sending a stream of blood down the blade onto her hands then to the floor, where it stained the sand crimson, and Aaron brought his huge blade down on the beast's neck, decapitating it.

Blood rushed from the wound as it toppled and fell to the sand, sending up a cloud of dust, and it stopped squirming and lay still.

"Quickly, all of us carve the two, we'll get Amy some new armour." Aaron said hastily.

They all drew their knives and cut as much of the beasts as they could carry, and set off back towards the distant mountains, back to Pokke village.


	6. Chapter V

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

The journey from the Desert was long and tiring, the hot sun beat down on them even as they passed into the grassy plains they longed for. Their flasks soon emptied, leaving their mouths and throats dry, begging for moisture. On top of that, all of them were carrying pieces of thick, heavy Diablos armour that was now dragging behind them.

None of them spoke, no one interacted with another, the journey was quiet. They finally reached the Guild outpost at the edge of the mountains, where they were shocked with the sight of three carriages waiting to take them to Pokke.

They stopped at the Guild operated building to rest and re-supply. As they sat inside the building, Aaron looked at Amy and said, "This armour had better be worth all of the carrying we're doing."

Amy blushed and looked down, "Sorry, but it wasn't my idea."

Laura laughed, "Don't pin this on me, you can't borrow my armour forever, you know."

"I know," Amy replied, "But if I'd have known that I'd have to go through this, I would've got some from a little closer to home."

"Come on," came Shiroha's voice, "Stop arguing, its no one's fault, we all agreed to help Amy get new armour, we knew we'd have to carry it all back to Pokke, yet we still agreed to help, so stop whining. And Aaron, you should know that Diablos armour is among the most resilient and toughest armour for those willing to go out there and get it."

"I need some air," Amy said, stepping outside.

Amy looked around the landscape, remembering the last time she was here, watching the Kirin leap gracefully along the plains, free to do as it wishes, oblivious to the mass of Hunters that desire it as a trophy, oblivious to the peril it faced that day, it lives now only because Amy stopped the Hunters from hunting it.

"Excuse me, my lady," came a voice, snapping her back to reality, "Are you ready to leave?"

"Almost," she replied, "just give me a few more minutes."

The Guild member returned to his two comrades, and signalled them, and they each went over to the waiting Popo, preparing them for the journey to the mountain village, then returned to Amy.

"We can't wait too long ma'am," he said, "The Guild Manager at Pokke needs to see you urgently."

"Alright then," Amy said as she got to her feet, "let's get going."

The Huntress walked over to the waiting carriages, and placed her sword in the back of the carriage, then stepped over to the other Hunters, who were loading up a carriage with the Diablos parts. She grabbed a portion of hide and lifted it, her arms still needing rest immediately began aching, but she continued to load the carriage with the monster remains, and then sat in the back of another carriage, where she would be taken back to the village.

Sitting in the back of the carriage, Amy's mind began to wander back to the first time she travelled in these mountains, fighting the Tigrex, how it ripped apart their carriage, how it destroyed the twins, how she almost died twice that day, once to the huge jaws of the Tigrex as it leaned over her, only to be denied by a well aimed throw of a hammer, and again as they both fell down a cliff face. Even now, the bellow the Tigrex let out haunts her subconscious, in her dreams, any time she hasn't devoted one hundred percent of her attention to her task, the Tigrex creeps back in.

Amy sighed with relief as they reached Pokke village, and went over to the armoury, where she would have the Diablos material crafted into strong, reliable armour. After paying the fees owed to the armoury, the four of them went to the Inn, to find the Guild Manager. The tall woman looked at them, a grim look on her face, "I'm glad you four are here," she began, "the Guild has noticed what you have done for the village of Pokke, and now we require your help. The infamous Wyvern, Rathalos, has seemingly tried expanding its territory, and completely destroyed a Guild Outpost. We cannot allow this, we have arranged travel to this beast's new lands, you must hunt down and kill the menace, so the Guild can re-establish its outpost and track down monsters once again. I must press how important this is, the outpost was a key outpost, our only link from the headquarters here in Pokke to most of the forests in the eastern lands. Please, hunt it down and destroy it, the Guild will pay you handsomely, and the new outpost will be in your names forever. Go!"

Amy ran back to the armoury, and observed her new armour. It was thick, hard and to be honest, ugly, 'if it gets the job done though,' she thought. She quickly changed, making sure to put extra layers on under it, as it had no lining, and the rough hide of the Diablos kept jabbing into her if she made the slightest move. After finally getting to a point where she could move comfortably and with relative ease, she travelled back to the carriage, which was now being fitted with tamed Anteka's, so they could travel faster than a Popo would allow.

The group finally arrived at their destination, scorched patches of grass highly contrasted the brilliant green that surrounded it, bushes eventually became forest as they looked further, and hills and cliffs sculpted the landscape that wasn't overgrown. In the midst of it all, a vast mountain rose up, piercing the sky with its rocky surface.

"Ok, gather round," Aaron said, gesturing to the others, "Chances are the Rathalos has made its nest somewhere along that mountain," the veteran said, pointing to the giant edifice, "we make our way through the forest, there's a lower chance it will see us from above, and we wont miss it if its landed, then we scope the mountain for any sign of it, if we see it before then, we react accordingly. We can also get some herbs on the way through the forest too. Ok, let's move."

The Hunters headed off into the forest, treading slowly and quietly, following Aaron's lead.

The veteran raised his hand in a fist. Stop. He then pointed to the ground. All four crouched instantly. He gestured towards the bushes almost twenty paces away. The Hunters shuffled beside him quietly, peering through the mass of twigs and leaves. A small blue head emerged from the bushes, looking straight at them, its toothed beak opening and closing slowly. Shiroha immediately reached for his lance, but Aaron stopped him with one quick, simple hand movement.

"It hasn't seen us," he whispered, "it'd call for help if it had."

The four Hunters stared at the Velociprey, pondering what course of action to take, whether to rush in, risking alerting more of them, stake it out until it moves on, or turn back, find an alternate route, risking being spotted by the Rathalos. Their train of thought was interrupted by a rustling in the bushes just by them.

"Probably just a Mosswine," said Shiroha.

This statement was soon contradicted as Laura, Shiroha and Amy were bowled over; claws scratching at the Diablos hide that covered Amy's shoulder. Aaron, however, was too fast for the small Prey, and brought his blade up, cleaving the monster in two, staining the grass red.

"GO!" Yelled Aaron.

The Hunters recomposed and headed out into the clearing, where the small blue fiends emerged from bushes all around them, surrounding them.

"Weapons!" Came Aaron's orders. "Sneaky bastards, they set a trap."

They had no other options, completely surrounded by almost thirty small, hungry, tooth filled beaks, except for a small yet deep pond beside them, the other side coming against impassable moss covered rocks. They had to fight.

One of the Velociprey leaned up on its legs, pointing its beak upwards; it let out three short, loud, rasping screeches.

Shiroha thrust his lance forward, skewering the nearest Velociprey. This one simple action brought about moments of mayhem, blood flew in all directions as Laura dodged a Velociprey as it leapt towards her, and unleashed a flurry of blade strokes in its side, completely shredding the monster. Amy brought her blade over her head as a Velociprey targeted her with an aerial assault, ending quickly with an unintended meeting with the sharp side of her Katana, slicing it down the middle from its head to the middle of its scrawny torso, showering the group with blood and brain fragments. All three paused momentarily to look at her, "Sorry," she blushed.

This one moment was the undoing of their group, as all of the remaining Velociprey surged forwards, immediately changing from a rabble of squawking Prey to a sea of claws and fangs, sending each hunter to the floor, protecting themselves from mutilation.

A harsh cry rang though the air, causing the Velociprey to back off, eyeing their prey hungrily. Peering through her hands, Amy saw what made them stop. Taller than her, even when she was stood up, covered in sapphire blue scales, it could easily have been mistaken for a large Velociprey, if it wasn't for the huge red claws on its fingers, and the brilliant ruby coloured crest on its head, this was the alpha male of the Velociprey, the Velocidrome.


	7. Chapter VI

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

The Velocidrome towered over them, its eyes glowing as it approached its meal, its fangs glistened with saliva, its long, thin tongue hung from the side of its mouth, drooling onto the floor, soaking the grass. Its overlong claws swung back and forth as it surveyed its meal to be, pondering which to eat and which to leave for its pack to feast on.

Suddenly, flames erupted around the Velocidrome, followed by a fearsome roar from high above, and all that remained where the Velocidrome once stood was a patch of scorched earth, still smoking slightly. The other Velociprey turned and fled into the surrounding overgrowth, fleeing at the death of their leader.

"Ok, get your weapons," said Aaron, seemingly unfazed by the incineration of the Velocidrome, "we need to find that Rathalos. Now, as we don't know where it's headed, I say we stick to the original plan, we head to the mountain."

The other Hunters nodded in agreement, and then set off into the forest, dispatching any of the fleeing Velociprey they met. The forest was thinning out; they could see green grass ahead of them, marking the end of the forest. Crouching in the thickest bushes they could find, Aaron whispered to the group, "OK, before we move on, check the skies," they all looked up, "Rathalos is more than capable of mounting an aerial assault, as we have just seen, so we need a constant look out. I will take the lead, I'll scout on ahead to a safe place then signal, Amy, you have Flash Bombs, you lead them two, Laura, you keep a look out above, we've done this before, you know what to look for, Shiroha, you bring up the rear, I know you like your lance, poke anything that moves. Alright, let's go."

He scouted on ahead, constantly checking the skies, until he came to a large tree. Crouching by the trunk, Amy saw him signal.

"Let's go," the young Huntress said to the others. They were almost halfway there when an ear splitting yell pierced the air. Immediately crouching, the group turned their gaze upwards, surveying the skies for the source. Aaron was looking round, his arm outstretched; pointing in the direction he was looking in.

"What is he doing?" Shiroha asked.

"He has very good ears," Laura began, "He's trying to find which direction it came from, I would guess, but with Aaron, who knows."

The yell came again, this time ending quickly with a strangled sort of gargle.

"Quick, this way," said Aaron, hurrying down a small rocky passage. The group followed through the small, dark corridor of rocks, coming out on a small opening, a single rock protruding from the arena like area. Opposite them, a cave lead into the heart of the colossal mountain they were scaling.

"Ok," Aaron whispered, his voice barely audible, "Move quietly, Laura and Shiroha, take the left side, Amy and I will take the right."

They split up accordingly, both pairs edging quietly around the rock that blocked their view. The Rathalos slowly came into view, sleeping peacefully, unaware of the Hunters that approached it, about to terminate it.

"I guess you were right," Amy began, "about it staying near the mountain."

"Yeah," Aaron replied, "But this doesn't feel right, Rathalos and Rathian prefer enclosed nests, and this is out in the open. Something's not right."

Shiroha edged towards the monster, and swiftly jabbed it with his lance. Nothing.

"This is weird," the Hunter said, "I should be dead."

"Be glad you aren't," Aaron replied.

They sheathed their weapons and walked round to the other side of it. Amy let out a small gasp. The Rathalos' throat had been mutilated, its soft underbelly brutally torn apart, its wing webbing shredded, its eyes gazed lifelessly at the cave, their bright blue stare now saw nothing, and a deep red pool was slowly flowing from below it, staining the grass with its precious liquid. Its entire under section was riddled with deep cuts, scratches, torn flesh, cracked scales and shattered carapace sections. Its proud tail spike was broken, lying on the floor some distance away.

Amy grabbed her Hunter's Knife, and had barely taken a step when Aaron stopped her.

"You can't do that, you didn't kill it." He said, "Let it rest in peace, it's had enough, don't you think?"

Amy looked down, "I'm sorry."

She sheathed the Knife and stepped over to the broken Wyvern and took a seat by its head. She closed its lifeless eyes and looked tearfully at Aaron, "What could do this? I thought Rathalos were the strongest Wyvern in these parts, except another Rathalos, but I doubt there's any more."

"I don't know," he replied, "But we had better take it out fast, it poses more of a threat to the Guild than this did. I mean…"

He cut off and stared towards the cave. Amy heard it, shuffling noises, as well as low growls. A pair of eyes became visible, blowing fierce red in the darkness of the cave; it let out a huge roar, sending the Hunters staggering for their weapons, recoiling in the sheer magnitude of its voice. It stepped out of the shadows. Amy was immediately struck with fear.

Its body resembled that of a Tigrex, except in place of rugged, solid carapace, it was covered in thick, black fur. Its forearms and feet were covered in pitch-black scales, its feline head was accented by its pointing ears, it's face ended in a brutal looking, toothed beak. Not like the ones on Velociprey, this meant business. Like the Tigrex, its wings pointed upwards from its paws, their soft pink webbing showing as its wings flexed. Its tail was covered halfway in fur, then scales emerged towards the tip, ending in a huge spike, its muscular tail was swinging aimlessly as its eyes surveyed the humans before it. It shifted its weight to its hind legs and pounded its paw into the ground, letting out a deep rumble, and then returned back into its dark cave.

Amy's face drained, Laura and Aaron looked lost, they had never met such a monster.

"The Black Griffin," Shiroha gasped.


	8. Chapter VII

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

The three Hunters all turned to him. "The what?" They asked in unison.

"Little is known about it," Shiroha explained, "it's from a distant land, from the far reaches of Minegarde, said to be a descendant of the legendary monster Akantor, related to the Tigrex, but more ferocious, more deadly, more mysterious. So mysterious in fact, no one even knows what it's called, Felyne legends call it Nargagarga, Wyverian lore calls it Narugakaruga; the few that have confronted it and lived long enough to talk about it afterwards call it the Black Griffin or the Black Panther. Whatever it's called, we have got one tough fight ahead of us."

"Right," Aaron started, "here's what we're going to do. Shiroha, you lead, your lance and shield will deter it long enough to allow us in. Amy, you back him up with a Flash Bomb before we go, it doesn't seem to like light, or we wouldn't be here. Laura, under the cover of the Flash Bomb, you and I will attack from the rear, Shiroha and Amy attack from the front. If it's still alive after that…well we'll figure something out."

"Well I have got three Flash Bombs," Amy added.

"Bingo," Aaron said, "Amy, you use all of them up, then we'll improvise."

The four Hunters entered the cave, treading carefully as the footing soon changed from rock to a less stable substance. Shiroha stopped, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

He saw an even darker mass at the other end of the cave, shuffling and making low noises. He tapped the group and pointed, and all of them acknowledged the fact, this was the monster they were now after. Amy drew a Flash Bomb from her pouch, and set the timer, and it instantly started ticking lightly.

Suddenly, bright red eyes dropped down from somewhere above them, and now stood feet away from them, the eyes piercing through the darkness at the group. In shock, Amy dropped the Flash Bomb, where it exploded at her feet, blinding the monster, causing it to stumble backwards in shock.

Shiroha thrust his lance forwards, shattering the monster's cheekbone, causing it to stagger back into the open cavern. The group spilled out, surrounding the beast and attacking with all they had, sword and spear pierced the tough black hide, yet not deep enough to do anything but aggravate it and cover themselves in blood.

Aaron swung his colossal blade under the monster's front shoulder, sending it sprawling on its back. Amy ran towards it, her blade over her head, ready to deal the final blow, when its paw came from nowhere, its cat like reflexes and brute strength combining to deter its attacker, and sent her flying into the wall.

It quickly flipped back to its feet, shunned Shiroha to the floor, and charged at Amy, its massive jaw engulfing her Diablos hide covered torso, and quickly jerked its head, removing the tough hide from her, and lightly tossed it aside. It reared its head back, ready to strike, when a bolt of thunder hit its head; one of Laura's blades had pierced the monster's skin, shocking it.

It turned to Laura and charged wildly, snapping its jaw along the way. Laura sheathed her remaining sword and defended herself from the approaching mountain of muscle, and was sent into the wall, where she lay still, blood pouring from her head, and staining a rock.

Aaron let out a furious yell at the loss of his love, and charged furiously, blindly, and was sent sprawling to the floor. It turned and charged at Aaron, who was still regaining himself, when Shiroha appeared, shield and spear ready, pointing at the beast.

Its jaws clamped down on the spear, causing it to choke at the sudden entry to its mouth, and lurched backwards. Wincing in pain, it drew itself up and let out a deep, furious bellow, which seemed to shake the earth, causing the Hunter's to cover their ears. The magnitude of the yell caused rocks to fall from the roof of the cave, light came flooding in, and the monster jumped back, away from the beam of light, which now illuminated the room.

The monster's vision was too sensitive for light of this brightness, it was now near blind, hopelessly hobbling about, snapping and clawing wildly in the presence of its attackers, daring them to draw near. It let out deep roars, calling to nearby monsters, and to keep the Hunters at bay, prolonging its life for as long as possible.

Amy recovered, and looked down at the ruined armour on the floor, and her torn shirt, now revealing her own skin. Unprotected yet unscathed, Amy ran at the frenzied monster, weaponless, yet not idealess, she saw her target. Using Shiroha, who was crouching, covering his ears, she leapt off his back, and thrust herself, feet first, at the Kirin-powered blade protruding from its skull. The force of the Huntress sent the electrically charged sword into the monsters brain, sending shockwaves through its nervous system, causing it to convulse and judder as the thunder seared through its body, frying its nerves and muscles.

Amy tumbled down the monster's body, landing face down on the bone-covered floor, and stood up, panting. She looked round for her sword, and saw it lying with her armour. She staggered over and recovered it, and used it to support her weight. Looking round, Amy saw the felled beast, and the two male members of their group recovering, shocked that they had survived.

Amy's hand rested on her Hunter's knife as she approached the fallen Wyvern, and looked towards Aaron, who nodded, her kill, her carve. She drew the short blade, and as the short dagger touched the hide of the beast, its cat-like reflexes took action, it flipped round, grabbing the blade in its jaw, flung it to the side and its arm collided with Amy, sending her to the floor, winded and gasping for air.

Its vision, it seemed, had now adjusted to the volume of lighting, and was back with a vengeance. Its body still smoked from its electric encounter, its movement was shaky, yet it was still fighting. Like a dying Tiger, these moments were most dangerous, its muscles pulsed, its senses heightened, claws out, teeth bared, ready to kill the beast was.

It lashed out angrily at Shiroha, he only just managed to raise his shield, his failure to react now left him defenceless as his shield now law on the floor. He kept his lance pointed at the enraged Wyvern, preventing it from attacking.

Amy drew her sword and shouted, turning the beast's attention to her. It charged at the young Huntress, ready to devour the human, drooling as its jaws snapped, approaching her. Amy froze, realising her mistake, she had no armour, nothing to protect her from the colossal monster that was bearing down upon her. Her body seemed to take over from her mind, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Her sword raised as the monster approached, the tip pointing straight at the mouth, it impaled itself, and she leant forward, making sure to do the job properly, she twisted the blade, making mincemeat of the beast's windpipe.

After recuperating, Amy expertly carved the now dead Wyvern, and the group began the long haul back to Pokke, Aaron carried Laura's limp body in his arms, Shiroha bore supplies for the group, to keep them well on their trip, and Amy carried her prize, a selection of fur, hide, teeth and claws from the felled Narugakaruga.

As the group arrived in Pokke, Aaron rushed back to his house, Laura in his arms, ready to take care of her. Shiroha rushed to the Chief and the Guild, to tell them what had happened in the forest. Amy sped to the armoury, Narugakaruga materials in her hand, ready to craft some new armour.

"What happened to the Diablos armour?" The blacksmith asked, "That should have withstood all but the fiercest attacker."

"The attacker was fierce," Amy answered, "It tore through that like it was nothing."

"Anyway," the blacksmith started, "what do we have here?"

He took the materials from Amy and examined them carefully.

"What is this stuff?" he asked in amazement.

"I took it from...Narga…Narugakaruga, something like that," Amy replied, struggling to pronounce the mysterious Wyvern's name.

"Wow," the blacksmith replied, bewildered, "I didn't know they even existed anymore."

There was a bang as the Pokke Chief, the Guild Manager and Shiroha all exited the Guild Hall, all running to Laura and Aaron's house.

"Ok," Amy said quickly, "make it look good."

Amy rushed off to the Hunter's house, and stepped inside.

"She is still alive," the Pokke Chief was saying, "she is severely injured though, mostly to the head, I think she will be out of it for quite some time. I will look after her, the rest of you; the village will still need defending, Aaron, that includes you."

"She'll be ok, then?" Aaron asked.

"She'll be fine, in time," the wise woman replied, "What concerns me is what could do such a thing. Surely it wasn't Rathalos? I thought she had more skill than that."

"It wasn't Rathalos," Shiroha interrupted, "it was Narugakaruga."

The Village Chief gasped. The Guild Manager look stunned.

"How is that possible?" Was all she could manage, "I thought they were extinct? And besides, they don't live in that area…"

She cut off mid sentence. Aaron glared at her.

"What do you mean?" Shiroha said, "You mean to tell me that you have information on this thing, and you didn't tell us? I thought your libraries had information on every Wyvern out there? Why did you not tell us of this?"

"It doesn't matter," The Chief said calmly, "all that matters is that it is dead now. You worked together as a team, and brought it down."

"No, that isn't all that matters," Aaron said, his voice rising, "A member of our team is lying here, unconscious, because you didn't give us information. What else have you not told us?"

"Nothing," the Guild Manger said, her eyes boring into Aaron fiercely.

"Then why didn't you tell us of it?" Aaron shouted, "Come to think of it, why does no-one know about it?"

"It is quite simple really," the Guild Manager replied, "It seems as if by nature, the monster hates humans. We, the Guild, chose to not to reveal much information to the general community because of this. Until we withdrew information, Hunter's numbers were half that of what they are today. Unskilled Hunters would pursue the beast, seeking fame and glory by slaying such a notably fierce monster, only to be met by disaster. Even the most skilled Hunters would fall at the hands of this beast. It was so rare, however, that when we decided to withdraw information on its whereabouts, nobody found one, well, not as often as they used to, and it became a legend. It was for the safety of the Hunters that we did this."

"We need to know what you know," Amy said, "If we find another one, we are going to need to know what to do, to avoid a repeat of this."

"We can't risk giving you that information." The Guild Manager said back, "it is against…"

"Against what?" Aaron replied furiously.

"Hey," Shiroha interjected, "calm down. What can you tell us?"

He turned to the Guild Manager, as did everyone in the room

"We can tell you that it is native to Jungles, you may have observed that it is primarily nocturnal, although it can come out into the light, and we call it Cougrex." She replied, "We cannot tell you more, it has been deemed classified information, knowing more than that will allow one the knowledge to hunt one, thus endangering the person's life."

The Guild Manager withdrew several large pouches full of coins, and handed them out.

"I'm sure this will cover your troubles," the woman said, "and keep your mouths shut."

The Hunters stepped out into the village of Pokke, and set off to rest their weary bodies.

The next day, Amy woke to a knocking at her door. Quickly dressing, she pulled open the door to find the blacksmith carrying a bundle of pitch black, furry armour.

"Your new armour," he said, presenting her with the garments, "I hade quite a job, crafting that, but I'm sure you will find it…satisfactory."

Amy thanked the man and stepped back indoors, eager to try on the new armour. Quickly identifying each piece and putting it on the appropriate part of her body, she inspected herself in the mirror. There was no headwear, allowing her a larger field of vision than most armour would allow. Her torso was covered only by a strip of thick, furry; pitch black fur that barely contained her chest. Around her waist was a miniskirt-esque portion of the fur. Her hands and forearms were protected by thick, black scales, taken from the monster's legs and forearms, from her elbows protruded long, intimidating spikes, similar to the style in which the Cougrex's wings extended from its own arms. Her legs were also protected in a similar way, knee high boots crafted from the thick scales, with the blade-like appendages extending from her knees. However, from half way down her shin, the boots were covered in the thick, dark fur of the Cougrex, which puffed out around her feet, crafted perfectly to look as if it touched the floor, but not a single strand of the fur came in contact with the floor of her house. In her hand, she held a thick black coat, also crafted from the pitch black fur, which, when put on, reached just above her ankles

'This is my kind of armour,' she grinned, admiring her new means of protection.

At that moment, Shiroha barged in on her, after pausing to admire her new armour, he said in a panic, "the Chief wants us, apparently there's another Tigrex causing havoc in the mountains. Attacked a provisions wagon, we need to get up there and slay it, and bring back what provisions we can."

With that, the two Hunters hurried outside, Amy grabbed her Katana and strapped it to her back, and met Aaron outside.

The three Hunters set off into the distant mountains, absent of their dual sword wielding companion, ready to face the Tigrex.


	9. Chapter VIII

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

The mountains loomed ahead of them as nightfall covered the land. The group travelled as quickly as they could, trying as hard as they could to avoid the ice covered rocks and frozen puddles in the absence of light. Their only light source came from the greens and blues that lit up the night sky in a beautiful display of colours that soaked the land in its hazy glow.

"Where are we camping, anyway?" Shiroha asked the other two.

"I made a small tent up the mountain," Amy replied, "But there's no way we would reach it by the time the temperature drops."

"I agree," said Aaron, "We should really be making camp about now, or finding some shelter."

The group left the path into the surrounding shrub lands, searching for a suitable place to use as shelter.

"How about here?" Amy shouted out to the spread out trio.

As the pair emerged from the growth, Amy pointed into a small cavern set into the very base of the colossal mountain.

"I'm sure we could fashion ourselves a door or something to keep the heat in." Shiroha said, heading out to collect branches and leaves.

The Hunter returned with an armful of vegetation, and began fashioning a barricade to the small entrance of the cave.

"I'll make a fire," Aaron said dully, searching through Shiroha's armful of flora.

"I'll sort some food out then," the Huntress stated, and set off into the brush just outside the tent.

After a good five minutes of searching, she had a handful of various mushrooms and a few varieties of herbs, and was about to head back to the cave, when a sudden movement caught her attention. The Huntress looked hard into the wilderness, trying to see through the darkness that filled the woods. Something moved again. Her Hunter's instinct told her to crouch down behind a bush, peering between its leaves and branches as she tried to make out the shape of their unknown companion. After a few moments that seemed like eternity, Amy gave up and made her way back to the cave, keeping out of view as best as she could.

"You took your time," Shiroha complained loudly.

"Shhh," Amy snapped back, "I saw something move out there, I couldn't quite see what though."

"Did you kill it?" The elder Hunter asked.

Ignoring him, Amy set about creating some food for the group, while Shiroha and Aaron blocked the entrance to the cave.

After concocting their evening meal, she divided the soup like substance between the three of them and handed out the small bowls.

"This is good, Amy," Aaron said quietly, "What did you put in it?"

"I put a Hot Drink in, some Blue Mushrooms, a Nitroshroom, cut up, of course, ummm, some Herbs, an Antidote Herb, and a few Jungle Onions, which are pretty rare out here," the Huntress replied, "It's a recipe my grandfather taught me when I was in training, he taught me a load of recipes made from things found only out here, in the wild. This soup, Jumbo Soup, he calls it, will keep us warm during the night, and also protect us from any bugs that may poison us during the night, we're pretty lucky I found those onions, without them, this thing is one of the most potent man made poisons without a monster's toxin used as an ingredient."

"Wow," Aaron gasped, amazed, "I remember Laura went through something like that, but we are never out for more than a day or two, so we usually get our provisions from Pokke before we go."

"Well that's not the only thing he taught me," Amy continued, "I got a load of tricks from him, no wonder he beat a Monoblos single handed if he knew all this stuff. Watch."

The young girl stood up from where she was, and headed to the lowest part of the cave, her Hunter's Knife drawn. Reaching up, she sliced away copious amounts of thick, green moss from the roof of the cavern and set it down in a corner and sat on it, leaning against the wall, a clump of the stuff between her back and the wall of the cave.

"On that note, goodnight," she said, mid-yawn.

She pulled the thick Cougrex fur coat around her and closed her eyes, drifting off into the land of dreams.

Amy woke slowly, her eyes closed as her senses got used to being back in use, she felt like something was wrong. Reaching up to stifle a yawn, she felt a thick, muscular hand clasp around her mouth, silencing her. Her eyes snapped open, and Aaron stood over her, his sword drawn. He let go of her mouth and brought his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. She nodded and looked around. It was still dark. The fire had been put out, and judging by the smoke that slowly rose from the mound of ash, quite recently.

Aaron stepped over to Shiroha to wake him in the same manner that she was woken, and just in time too, for he had started to snore.

Aaron walked stealthily to the doorway of the cave, followed by Shiroha and Amy. He pointed through a small gap in the foliage. The two of them stepped over, and peered through the gap. No more than ten paces away, stood a colossal being. It stood at least twice as tall as Amy, and was almost as long as a Tigrex or even a Rathalos. Its body was covered in a thick, jagged carapace, the lighting made it impossible to determine the colour. From the tip of the Wyvern's face rose a single, deadly looking horn. Its entire body was covered from head to tail in sharp stubby thorns, and huge, heavy wings rose up from its sides. The unknown creature sniffed at the bushes where it stood and flapped its gigantic wings, and set off on its flight. Amy woke with the sun beaming through the gaps in their makeshift door. She rose from her bed of moss and stretched, yawning deeply. As the other Hunters rose, Amy took down the barricade and stepped into the Forest.

This section of the Forest was unique compared to the surrounding greenery. Being set in a deep valley, and surrounded by geothermal activity, the Forest was similar to a jungle, allowing exotic and tropical plants and animals to thrive there. The sun that shone brightly down on them only added to the effects.

The two Hunters emerged from the cave.

"Ready then?" Shiroha asked.

The others nodded in agreement and proceeded back to the path.

"Wait." Amy said.

She crouched by a bush and began rummaging by the stem of the bush. She stood up and held out her hand. In it was a single, small mushroom, glowing a faint red colour.

"Mushroom?" Shiroha asked, looking shocked. "We stopped for a mushroom?"

"Not just any mushroom," Amy replied, "A Dragon Toadstool. These are incredibly rare, and not just in this climate, everywhere. I hear you can make wonderful things from them, but I never got taught how to."

"Wow," said Shiroha, "You're quite the botanist, aren't you?"

"Here," said Aaron, holding out his hand, "Give me the Toadstool, I'll make you something with it, I made one a few years ago, Laura and I found one of these while hunting Remobra's down in the Volcanic Belt near Kokoto. We were hunting for the village of Jumbo, so that would put us on the south side of the Volcano. Anyway, the Chief there taught me how to make something really useful from it. Luckily…" He paused while rummaging through his pouch, "…I have the items in case I ever found another."

He pulled out a smaller pouch of items.

"Ok, first, you take a Bitterbug; they are extremely common around here, and some Honey…"

He drew a small vial of thick honey, and a small blue insect. Aaron then cracked open the husk of the bug and poured the Honey inside the carcass.

"This makes an item known as a Catalyst. It will greatly amplify the effects of a range of items. We then put the Dragon Toadstool in with the Catalyst."

He emptied the contents of the bug husk into a small mortar and put the Toadstool into the mixture. Then using a pestle, he ground the mixture into a fine paste.

"Now this is called an Immunizer. As the name implies, it enhances your immunity, allowing a quicker natural recovery. However, since the development of Potions and Mega Potions, and due to the rarity of the Dragon Toadstools, it is very rarely used. What we do now though, is take a Kelbi Horn, and crush that into the mixture."

He pulled out the small horn, and added it to the mixture, creating a deep red paste. The Hunter then scooped the paste into a vial, and handed it to Amy.

"That there is what we call an Ancient Potion. It is one of the strongest healing Potions that are currently known."

"Wait, you aren't going to split it between us?" Shiroha said suddenly.

"No," Aaron replied, "It's her mushroom, she found it, and she can do what she pleases with it. Anyway, that Ancient Potion will fully recover anyone suffering from any injury or malady, even if they are practically at Death's door, it will allow them a full recovery. Of course, the process takes time, but it is still a truly wonderful item. And due to the nature of the Dragon Toadstool and Catalyst, it will only get better with age. Unless you absolutely must use it during this hunt, when we return, keep it somewhere, and after a few seasons, you will literally need the smallest amount to heal nearly any wound. Here, take this too."

Another vial was presented to Amy, a slightly larger one containing a runny orange liquid.

"That is a type of Honey unique to the Jumbo region, as you can see, it is far less viscous than most types of Honey. If you need the Potion for a physical injury, smear the Ancient Potion on it, if it is an internal wound, mix it with that Honey. It will make the Potion easier to drink, and it helps it go down too, it is extremely bitter."

"Ok, can we go now?" the Veteran asked.

"Sure." Aaron replied.

They followed the path up the Mountains until they came to the tent that Amy had built on her last hunt. Snow started falling lightly as Aaron told them to climb onto the plateau where Amy had faced the Blangonga. Taking out their binoculars, they scanned the area for signs of the tyrant Tigrex. The snow picked up, and within minutes, they were surrounded by whirling snow and ice cold winds. Amy quickly pulled the thick black coat tightly around her and fastened it. The winds picked up even more, roaring around them. The Huntress felt the ground tremble as a particularly strong surge washed over them. She vaguely heard Aaron shouting them to come to him. As she stood by his side, she couldn't even see Shiroha on the other side of Aaron. Aaron pointed out in the distance.

"I saw a Popo carcass down there." Aaron yelled into her ear, it was still barely audible due to the winds continuous roars.

The ground was still shaking and trembling, the wind was relentless, and the snow blocked their vision.

"I think we should get down from here." Amy yelled into Aaron's ear after another strong quake almost knocked the Hunters down.

The Hunter nodded in agreement, and looked around.

"Where is Shiroha?" Aaron asked.

The Huntress shrugged. Aaron pointed in the direction Shiroha was sent when they came up. As they steadily made their way through the blizzard, a huge dark shape became slowly visible. Aaron drew his sword and charged at the beast, bringing the colossal blade down onto the creature's back, wedging his sword in the mass of the monster. Amy charged the beast too, and when she was almost upon it, she realised what it was. The Tigrex. Amy stopped in fear. She was forcefully pulled from her terrified state as the thick tail crashed into her, sending her sprawling in the snow.

Drawing her long thin blade, the Huntress charged again, fluidly bringing the blade from trailing behind, her around her side, the blade then pointing forward. The Tigrex yelped in pain as the blade sliced through the muscular forearm of the Wyvern, sending deep red blood into the blizzard.

Amy saw Shiroha, laid on the floor, his lance buried deep in the huge beast's chest. The Tigrex was flailing madly as Shiroha tried to stand whilst keeping a firm grip on his lance, repeatedly sending him back into the thick snow.

The Tigrex leapt high into the air, pulling Shiroha with it, then forcefully crashed down to the floor. Letting out a deep, loud roar, the Tigrex launched itself once again up into the blizzard, then crashed down on the top of the Hunter. The beast then leapt down the side of the mountain, and both Amy and Aaron rushed to their companion.

Shiroha lay face up in the snow, his black armour crushed. His limbs were spread out in an elegant pose. His prized lance was broken in half, stained in blood. Aaron quickly pushed his fingers against the Hunter's neck, checking for any sign of life. He picked up the broken lance and removed Shiroha's helmet. He then pulled Shiroha's legs together and placed his arms across his chest, crossing them over and resting his hands on the opposite shoulder.

Taking the Hunter's knife, he carved Shiroha's name into both fragments, and jammed them into the ground at Shiroha's head. Amy wept silently as she realised what was happening.

Shiroha was dead.

Aaron grabbed Shiroha's helmet and attached it to his belt, then picked up his sword and sped off after the Tigrex. Amy rushed to his side and stared down the mountain. The Tigrex, it seemed, had not gone down the mountain as smooth as it had hoped, instead of gliding smoothly, it had fallen, rather unceremoniously, into a crumpled heap several metres below. The Hunters watched as it disappeared into the side of the mountain.

Aaron leapt down to where the Tigrex disappeared, motioning to Amy to enter the cave from the hole just to her left. She carefully dropped into the hole, almost being knocked back out of it by a large blast that shook the mountain. Crawling to the edge, Amy looked down to see the cave filled with smoke.

The smoke cleared, revealing Aaron, stood with one knee on the floor, leaning forward, his thick, heavy blade held along the floor behind him, his other hand supporting his weight in front of him, his head down, his eyes staring at the Tigrex. The Tigrex was a lot worse, and the source of the blast was apparent. Aaron had set a strong explosive by the Tigrex, its left shoulder and its left arm, along with the left side of its face was charred and burnt, the thick scales warped and twisted with the heat. As the Tigrex tried standing, unable to bear its weight on its injured leg, it collapsed with a howl and shakily stood up again, its weight on its uninjured arm, snapping its huge jaws at Aaron.

Amy watched as Aaron shifted his weight forward, breaking out into a run at the Wyvern, his sword leaving a trail in the slushy floor. He approached the beast at full speed, reacting quickly to the lunge of the massive head of the monster by rolling to the side, and then brought his colossal sword up to the monster's throat, causing blood to spill from the huge gash it made.

The Tigrex staggered backwards and let out a loud, fierce roar that shook the room. Aaron recovered quickly and charged at the Tigrex once more, only to have his blade brought down upon nothing but water, snow and gravel as the beast flung itself sideways, preserving its life.

Amy looked down, sizing up the drop to help out her fellow Hunter. Aaron looked up quickly and signalled 'no', then nodded towards the entrance to the cave. What was once a hole in the mountain had become almost indistinguishable from the wall, leaving the hole behind the Huntress the only way out of the cave.

The Tigrex howled, and swept its thick tail towards the Hunter, sending him crashing into the wall. The beast loped around on its injured leg, looking for a way out. Realising it was trapped; it roared fiercely, blood pumping through its body, evident by the thick red veins pulsating on its forearms.

"Look out!" The Huntress yelled, warning her fellow hunter.

"I got this. Go let a flare off outside!" He replied.

Nodding, Amy pulled her coat around her then stepped out into the blizzard, searching in her backpack for the distress flares she had received before heading out. Jamming the support stick into the snow, she tugged the small length of string at the bottom, sending the flare high into the snowy air, a thick trail of bright red smoke behind it. After gaining altitude, the flare exploded in blinding flash of red, a shower of red sparks and thick red smoke.

Stepping back into the cave, the Tigrex had Aaron pinned up against the wall, the only thing between the Hunter and the tooth lined jaw was his colossal blade. The monster repeatedly slammed its jaws against the Hunter, hoping to get at its attacker.

"Throw me your flare!" Amy yelled.

"What? Now? Are you crazy!" The Hunter replied, trying to defend himself from the rampaging Wyvern.

The Tigrex reared back, its forearms rose off the floor, and slammed, mouth first, into the cave wall. Aaron had dodged at the last second, leaving the Tigrex biting nothing but stone. The blunt edge of Aaron's sword connected with the top of the Wyvern's skull, sending it crashing to the floor. The Hunter quickly reached into his pouch and threw three small objects at the Tigrex, one at each massive paw, and the third at its head. As soon as they hit, vibrant pink fluid began to seep out of them. Looking up, Aaron signalled to Amy. She searched in her pouch until she found her rope, and lowered it down. Aaron slammed the blunt edge of his sword into the Tigrex's head again, causing it to once again hit the floor. The Hunter ran and started climbing the rope, dropping small items from his bag as he did so. Each one exploded in a cloud of thick smoke, and soon Amy couldn't even see Aaron on the rope. He soon emerged through the smoke, and they both stepped outside, coughing heavily.

"Now what?" Amy asked between coughs.

"We give it a minute, he isn't going anywhere." The skilled Hunter replied.

Aaron set his flare off, again filling the empty skies with bright red smoke.

"Wow, the weather changes quickly up here, doesn't it?" The Huntress said, looking around.

"Yeah, you get used to it though." Aaron replied. "Right, let's finish this thing."

He looked in his bag, and pulled out five small objects, and stepped into the cave. A few minutes passed and he emerged again, grinning slightly.

"You might want to start climbing." He said.

Confused, Amy began to climb back up onto the plateau. Sitting by Shiroha's body, Amy looked at Aaron.

"What did you do to it?" She asked.

"Put it to sleep, the Guild can have it for training up new Hunters or whatever." He answered.

"What? The Guild has live monsters? Why?" Amy asked again, confused.

"Basically what I just said, to train up inexperienced Hunters in a controlled environment…"

"But what was the 'whatever' bit?" The Huntress said quickly.

"Well, I'm not quite sure, but I heard that in Dondruma, probably the largest city in Minegarde, they have events where they will unleash a monster in a massive arena, while a team of Hunters will slay it in front of hundreds of spectators. Sometimes, they will have two monsters, duking it out against each other." Aaron said.

"That…That's just wrong! There is no need for that! Why do they do it?" She asked, feeling anger rising within her.

"Ha, Amy, you are one of the first people I have met with a decent sense of right and wrong. Out here, sure, people are very trusting; they need to be in order to survive. But in the cities, especially the bigger ones, not everyone is as honourable and as trustworthy as you would like. In the cities, people like things like that. I don't know why, they just do. Why don't you ask the Guild manager about it when you get back?"

"No, I guess I just have a lot to learn." Amy said, staring into the clouds, thinking back to when she was young.

She grew up dreaming of following in her grandfather's footsteps, to become a Hunter of such a high status, respected by all. A cold wind shook this thought from her. The sun was setting, the light fading behind the mountains, the orange glow of the sun fading with it, revealing the dark sky, the luminous patterns of light dancing high above them.

The Guild balloon soon appeared; the Guild Manager and Village chief stepping out.

"Where is the Tigrex?" The Guild Manager asked.

"Sedated in the cave below us." Aaron replied.

"Alright. Good work, Hunters. Our retrieval team will come back here tomorrow for the Wyvern."

The four of them stepped into the balloon, Amy and Aaron carrying Shiroha's limp form with them, and the balloon lifted off, heading back to Pokke.


	10. Chapter IX

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

It was dark now. Amy had no idea where she was. She had been chasing the light for what seemed like forever. It never got closer. It seemed to stop when she did, and run just as fast as she ran. Amy ran for as long as she could. She never got tired, never ran out of energy, constantly running flat out.

Finally the light stopped, allowing the Huntress to approach it. The Kirin emerged from the orb of light, standing as tall as Amy, its body glowing a blinding white colour. It trotted slowly alongside her, its electrified body humming slightly as the two walked.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? Where am I?" The Huntress asked.

The Kirin said nothing, continuing its path into the emptiness that surrounded them. Voices emerged from the darkness, although Amy could swear they were only in her head, speaking nonsense, a cacophony of noise and whispers.

The white monster stopped, whinnying slightly and pawing the ground. Out of the darkness stepped Shiroha, looking healthy, carrying his prized lance on his back, his shield on his arm, everything but his helmet.

"Shiroha? How?" Amy asked, shocked.

"That doesn't matter now, little Hunter," he replied, not speaking, the words forming in her head like the others, only this time it was as clear as if he was standing right next to her.

"All that matters is that you are here. The Emperor is coming. Not to you, but you will see him. He will find you," Shiroha's voice echoed in her mind.

Amy's grandfather, the Village chief of Kokoto, stepped out from behind the elder Hunter, only, he was different. His skin was dark, almost charred. His eyes were bloodshot, the red standing out against the dark skin that surrounded them, and his clothes were burnt, almost camouflaged against the darkened skin. A small, glowing cinder burnt atop his head, spreading slowly, but he spoke as though he couldn't feel a thing.

"Amy, the Emperor is coming, and he will destroy all in his path, even you. Only the supreme can stop him."

Unlike Shiroha, and the countless entities that filled her mind, her grandfather's voice came from his figure, speaking slowly and clearly, just like Amy remember him to speak.

"You don't have much time," The old Wyverian said, his voice fading, "you must hurry."

With that, the cinders above his head burst into a violent flame, consuming the figure until nothing but ash remained, then being blown away by a gentle breeze.

"Amy," Shiroha's voice echoed again, "you must hurry, for the Emperor is coming."

Shiroha doubled over, falling to his knees. He sat upright, his face contorted in what looked like pain. His mouth opened, only no sound escaped. His armour was bulging around his stomach. Something wanted to get out. The hide of the Black Gravios was cracking. A huge split appeared down the middle. Amy backed off nervously; her instinct told her this wasn't going to be pretty.

A huge paw appeared from the gap, swiping and flailing madly. Shiroha's body fell in half as a Tigrex appeared from inside the Hunter; only this one was a deep red colour, its eyes shone with a vibrant emerald green. Amy didn't stay to watch its entrance, she just ran. She knew the Wyvern was behind her, she could feel it. Looking back, the Tigrex was closing in, fast. The edge was near. The point where the darkness ended and the light began. If she could just reach that point, she would be safe. Amy leapt off the edge, the Tigrex exploding after being exposed to the light. Its paw collided with Amy, sending her sprawling into the soft bright floor.

Amy woke with a start, practically jumping out of her skin after seeing a Felyne nose to nose with her.

"Ah, anthropoid, you are awake, nya," said the Felyne in a squeaky voice. "I am here to tell you that breakfast is now ready downstairs, and the Guild manager left you this, nya."

The cat dropped a heavy looking pouch onto the cabinet beside her, and then left the room. Amy threw back the sheets that were now drenched in sweat, and stood up, shivering slightly. Quickly throwing on some clothes, the Huntress stepped into the social area of the Guild hall. She sat in a corner, quietly eating her fill of the impressive buffet laid before her, the hall practically empty in the morning. The Village Chief stepped through the double doors, looking around the hall for a moment, and then sat down next to Amy.

"So, Amy," The old woman began, "How are you finding life in Pokke, and life as a Hunter?"

"Life in Pokke, brilliant. I like it here, I'm still adjusting to the cold, but it's a nice little village. Life as a Hunter, it isn't quite what I imagined though."

"How come?" Asked the Village Chief, eyeing Amy.

"Well, just silly things like being constantly close to death, I mean, the amount of times I have been knocked off something, hit by something, hit into something. Obviously I didn't expect it to be easy, but I never expected this. And then I feel like I'm the only Hunter doing this for the right reasons, I met two on the way here, and I'm sure they were only in it for glory and riches, they didn't care about creatures. And then the Guild, I found out that they pit animals against each other or against Hunters for sport, I mean, what is the point? What will they achieve? They would achieve more if they were out in the world finding new villages or new areas, you know? I'm sorry; I'm rambling, aren't I?" Amy said, looking down slightly.

"No dear, if it needs letting out, then let it out," laughed the Chief.

Amy sat in silence, staring into nothingness, the voices from the dream playing in her mind. 'The Emperor…' She thought, 'Who is he? What does he want? Only the supreme can stop him…'

"Dear?"

Amy looked round to see the Village Chief staring at her.

"I'm so sorry, pardon?" Asked the Huntress

"I asked what was wrong, something clearly troubles you." The old Wyverian asked.

"Well, I had a dream last night. It was really vivid; I've never had a dream like that one."

"Tell me about it dear," said the old woman.

"Well, firstly I was following this light, and I couldn't get closer to it. Then I could get closer to it, but then Shiroha appeared, and he told me the Emperor was coming. My grandfather appeared, but he looked like he was burnt. He told me the same thing Shiroha did, about this Emperor, and that only the supreme can stop him. Ever since I woke up, I've had this Emperor echoing in my head, do you know who, or what, it could be?" Asked Amy, staring at the food on her plate, her appetite suddenly gone.

The Village chief was silent for a moment, and then she spoke, "I'm not sure, dear. I will have to look this up, the Emperor, you say? Nothing really comes to mind, I'm sure someone will know something. Now, to the reason I came here, there will be a ceremony tonight, to honour Shiroha as we have with all the Hunters that have fallen defending Pokke. That being said, what do you have planned for the rest of today?"

"Well, I was going to look up that Emperor, but seeing as you are taking care of that, I don't know, I think I'm just going to relax, you know, have a little down time," the Huntress replied.

"In that case, follow the path out of here up the mountain, towards the peak, there is a lovely little spot, I go there when life seems to mount up on me, I highly recommend you visit it. Wrap up warm though, dear, we don't want our new Hunter freezing to death, would we?" With that, the old lady wandered off, chuckling to herself.

Grabbing her coat, Amy wandered up the path, looking out over the mountains as she climbed steadily higher. After finally reaching the spot the chief spoke of, she realise why she liked it. A small shelf, mere metres from the very peak of the mountain stood ahead of her, a small cave set into what was left of the mountain sheltered the majority of it from the winds and snow that filled the air. Several small plants protruded from the thin layer of snow that covered the ground, adding life to the scene. A final touch to the small area was a rock, knee high, that stood about a metre from the edge, providing a perfect place for someone to sit and think.

Sitting down upon the rock, Amy gazed out over the mountain range, her mind in a flurry. Less than one month ago, she would have been sat at home, wishing she was out on her own adventures, defending towns, exploring hidden and secret places, discovering new people and villages, and defending them from monsters. Now she was mourning the loss of one of her comrades, who fell while hunting, and she now wished she was back at home.

Home, she felt like nothing could touch her as long as she was there. Back hunting Velociprey in the forests, surrounded by experienced Hunters protecting her, there was none of that out here, only your own strength and your team. She thought of people who didn't have a team to support them, out here on their own, she wouldn't be here if it weren't for her comrades.

The light slowly faded from the sky, green lights danced above here, casting a sickly glow to the ground around her. Below her, the village was illuminated by a vast amount of candles hanging from the houses, honouring the fallen. Amy drew her coat tightly around her, and set off back to the village.

The village was covered in a warm orange glow, the vast amount of candles keeping the village light, even though darkness crept in around them. Each of the villagers held a candle too, and soon the entire village was walking along the path out of the village. The procession stopped at a large, dark cave. Through the crowd Amy could see the back wall, bathing in the glow from the candles, the wall was completely covered in various helmets and weapons, each with a name carved into a small wooden plaque beneath it. To the side of the cave, up on a small ledge that ran the width of the cave, was a small wooden structure. It looked like a tall table, but it had a ramp that lead out of Amy's view.

The Village Chief walked through the throng of people, creating a gangway, and then stepped up onto the small ledge at the end of the cave. Aaron and Laura then walked slowly down the path, followed by a Guild maid who sprinkled the path with a thin layer of petals before taking her place at the front of the crowd. Aaron and Laura had reached the Chief by now, and faced the entrance to the cave. Six members of the guild, dressed in shining silver armour walked slowly into the cave, preceded by the Guild Manager. The six men bore upon their shoulders a long, thick box, the flag of Dondruma draped over it, and behind them, three more Guild members walked, two bearing the flag of Dondruma, the other bearing the flag of Minegarde.

Tears silently rolled down Amy's cheeks as the procession walked down the path, her mind wandered back to the first time she and Shiroha had met. He had appeared out of nowhere, answering Pokke's cry for help. Amy had never met a Hunter with the experience Shiroha had, his assistance in their first hunt together was incredibly useful, and his knowledge of monsters had saved her life. It was obvious he had hunted many monsters, yet, he didn't seem to be in it for the same reasons as most Hunters. Another wave of sadness washed over her as she realised she didn't really know him at all.

An eerie silence had fallen over the cave; the only sound was the clanking of the Guild members' steel armour as they walked towards the rear of the cave. No sounds from outside could be heard, and a light snow had begun falling from an unseen gap in the roof of the cave, and was being gently blown about by an unfelt breeze that found its way into the cave.

It seemed like even time itself was slowing down for this, as the procession was only halfway down the path. Amy noticed everyone in the cave had raised their hands into a salute, and the young Huntress followed suit. The procession finally reached the ledge, and Shiroha's coffin was placed upon the wooden table, and the Village Chief spoke.

"Today, we honour another Hunter who has fallen defending our small village. Shiroha had come from the city of Dondruma; he left everything he held dear behind to assist us. He lived with us, he fought for us, and he has died for us. May he be forever at peace, and forever in our hearts, as his spirit passes on, his memories remain with us. We will never forget him, and we let him rest here with the many others that have fallen to keep us safe."

With that, the Guild members pushed the coffin down the ramp, and the crowd stood for a moment in complete silence, before quietly filing out of the cave.


	11. Chapter X Not Canon

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. Blah.

A/N. I don't consider this chapter canonical, but I wrote it, there's some decent action sections, worth a read. Enjoi!

Amy opened her eyes to find herself in the Inn, unable to remember much of the last night; it was as if she was on auto pilot. Wandering outside the Inn, through the main street of the village, her mind was still scrambled, no thoughts or feelings came to her, but at the same time nothing made sense.

Amy clutched the amulet around her neck and stared at the sky. The necklace was one of her few trinkets from Kokoto, one of the few connections to her past, and her roots. It was given to her by her grandfather; it once belonged to her mother before the Wyvern took them.

A small bird flew overhead as Amy turned to inspect the necklace. It was small; a thin gold chain held it around her neck and exquisite golden jewel crafting held a bright orange jewel in the centre. Amy loved it, it was beautiful.

"They can't, they aren't ready for this." Amy heard the Village Chief say.

Looking around, she saw the Chief and the Guild Manager bursting out of the Inn, the Manager holding a letter in her hand.

"They must go, Guild rules clearly say that when a town or village calls for aid, any town or village that receives the call must respond immediately," the Guild Manager said, her voice rising slightly.

"And don't the rules also give a three day grieving period after the loss of a team mate?" Asked the Chief, her voice also rising.

"Oh, come on, it's not like they really knew him, they went on three hunts together, and I never saw them together outside of a hunt, it isn't like they were life partners," answered the Manager.

"Nevertheless, I happen to know that each of them needs these three days, it just isn't right that they go now," the Chief retaliated.

"But it is right for Kokoto to suffer?" Asked the Manager.

"Kokoto has its own Hunters, plenty of them," the Chief answered.

"All of which were slaughtered," the Manager shot back.

"Even more reason to keep our Hunters here, and safe," said the Chief.

Amy stood up and headed over to them.

"What has happened at Kokoto?" She asked.

"Noth…"The Chief began.

"It has been attacked by a monster; every Hunter so far has fallen." The Manager cut in.

"Well what are we stood debating it for? Every moment we stand here, Kokoto could be destroyed!" Amy said, rushing back into the Inn.

"Now that's what I like to see, enthusiasm," The Manager said, smiling and clapping her hands together, "now, Chief, I trust you will alert the other Hunters of our situation, I have work to do."

Amy returned to find Laura and Aaron stood outside, fully dressed in armour, waiting by a carriage.

"You didn't think we'd let you go by yourself, did you?" Aaron said with a slight grin. "Come on kiddo, the carriage is waiting."

The three of them climbed into the carriage, where they settled down, waiting for the long ride to Kokoto.

Snow blew around them, howling loudly, constantly reminding Amy of the last time she took this pass, where she was attacked by an aggressive Tigrex, the memories of the encounter still haunted her to this day, Amy wondered if she would ever get over it.

'I should consider myself lucky,' she thought, 'some Hunter's must have gone through three times what I have, their whole lives must be one big scar…'

Her thoughts were interrupted when something outside caught her eye.

"Stop the carriage!" She shouted, hopping out of the back of the carriage.

"Amy, what's going on?" Aaron asked, "We don't have time to stop."

"I know that, but this is where we were attacked on the way here." Amy said.

Aaron looked around, seeing splinters of wood laying in the snow, a Popo carcass, and the remains of the carriage, toppled over, by the edge of the cliff. Amy was rummaging in the snow by the remains of the carriage, searching for anything from the journey to Pokke.

"Amy, we really don't have time for this," Laura yelled from the carriage.

"I know, but I'm looking for something that could help us," Amy replied.

"Well look faster!" Aaron shouted, inspecting the frozen remains of the Guild Official that lost his life to the Tigrex. "This Tigrex was nasty, wasn't it?" He asked, bemused.

"Aha!" Said Amy.

They looked over to see Amy pulling several pieces of frozen armour from the snow.

"What is that?" Aaron said, rushing over and kneeling in the snow beside her. "Wow, Rathalos armour, how did you know that was here?"

"I told you, when I left Kokoto, I was given armour and a weapon…" She began.

"Speaking of Kokoto, let's move!" Laura yelled.

"I need my sword!" Amy replied, frantically searching through the snow again.

"I think I've got something," Aaron shouted, pulling a black wooden case out of the snow.

"That's it!" Amy said, rushing over and sliding to her knees beside the case.

"It's frozen shut," she said, struggling to open the wooden box.

"Here," Aaron said, handing her his Hunter's knife.

Amy jabbed the knife into the side of the box, and the case snapped open. She pulled out Supremacy Blade, it's long, slender blade reflecting the dim sunlight with a red tint, and it was in the pristine condition it was in when Amy received it.

"Ok, you got the sword, now let's go!" Laura yelled.

Amy nodded and grabbed the sheath and her armour, and dashed into the carriage.

Night was falling as they left the mountains, an ominous orange glow in the distance told the where Kokoto was. They urged the carriage on towards the village, hoping that they weren't too late. Amy put the Rathalos armour on over her Narugakaruga armour, removing the arm and leg protection in favour of the more protective Rathalos shell coverings. She strapped 'Dragon' to her back, heeding her grandfather's words about only using it when she felt ready.

By the time they arrived at the village, night had well and truly fallen. The only lights were from the burning houses of Kokoto. Amy looked around in horror at her home village; most of it was burning, or already burnt. A house beside them shook, and some of the wood fell from the roof.

"Whatever comes through there, we must remain calm," Aaron said as they all readied their weapons.

The house burst apart, revealing the menace that was terrorising Kokoto. It stood twice as tall as Amy; its red scaled body looked incredibly powerful. Thick wings sprouted from its back, each wing beat released a fine powder into the air. It had a thick red mane around its neck, and its head sported two fierce, crown like horns. Its eyes burnt a fierce orange as it stared down at the Hunters. It bellowed and gnashed its huge fangs together, igniting the powder from its wings, incinerating the ground around it.

The Hunters backed off as the Dragon turned; flames billowed from its mouth as it continued to devastate Kokoto. Amy yelled and charged at the beast, drawing 'Dragon', ignoring Aaron telling her to come back. She raised the Katana above her head, ready to strike, when a wall of heat hit her with the force of a rampaging Bulldrome pack. Weakened, the strike did nothing but alert the monster of her presence. A tail hit the Huntress, knocking her to her feet. Before her brain could register, a paw swiped at her, sending her sprawling across the charred land. As she recovered, she felt the hard head of the Dragon hit her, again sending her sprawling across the floor. Opening her eyes, she saw the mouth of the monster opening, preparing to finish its attacker.

In a flash, Aaron was there, blocking with his Greatsword, as Laura unleashed a flurry of lightning powered strikes into the beast's ribcage. The Dragon spun around and swiped Laura with its paw, sending her rolling across the floor.

Aaron's sword slashed upwards, slicing through the tail of the monster, causing it to leap forwards in pain. Amy recovered and charged again at the beast, which shunted its horns forward, knocking her down. It reared its head back, sparks flying from its mouth. Amy knew it was about to burn something, and she knew she didn't have time to move, so she closed her eyes and jabbed her sword towards the Dragon.

Flames didn't burn her, no excruciating heat enveloped her body, something heavy landed on her leg, but that was all. She opened her eyes. Her sword had removed one of its horns, which had stopped it from burning her. She grabbed the horn and rolled away from the monster as it recovered.

It looked to Laura, who was just climbing out of the pile of wood she had been sent into, and began to charge. Aaron rushed to her aid and brought 'Blushing Dame' down onto the head of the beast, not having time to use the sharp side; the blunt edge of the sword had sent its head crashing into the hard earth.

The Hunters backed off as it recovered, letting out a deep, loud roar. The earth around the monster began to blacken, any grass wilted then burst into flame as the heat around the monster grew more intense.

"Get away from it!" Aaron yelled, turning around and running from the beast.

Amy struggled to stand up, dropping her Katana; she broke into a run as the Dragon bore down on her.

"Amy!" Laura yelled, "Over here!"

Amy looked over towards Laura, where her and Aaron where taking shelter inside a building. The Huntress turned her run towards the two, aware of the raging beast behind her; she could almost feel its breath on her back. She dove through the window of the house; crashing onto the weakened wooden floor as the monster collided with the house, shaking the entire structure.

"We need to move," said Laura as Aaron helped Amy to her feet.

The trio quickly made their way through the ruined house as the Dragon tore the wall down, pursuing its attackers through the small space.

"Out there!" Yelled Aaron, pointing to another door to the house.

Amy and Aaron dashed through the door as Laura hopped through the window frame. The monster, not a second behind them, crashed through the wall, causing the already weakened building to crumble around it. Laura approached it as the other two caught their breath. The beast unleashed a torrent of flames, causing Laura to roll out of the way and back to the two Hunters.

"How long do you think it will stay there?" Amy asked, looking at Aaron.

Her question was already answered, however, as the dragon's wings sent powder into the air, and it gnashed its fangs together. Amy brought up her hand, shielding her eyes from the explosion, which had sent burning wood and earth into the air. In the midst of the flames stood the Dragon, roaring proudly. Amy thought it would have been quite a spectacular sight, had it not been so deadly.

A sharp tug at her shoulder brought her back to reality, as Aaron pulled her towards another building.

"Wake up, I've got a plan!" He yelled, sprinting towards the house.

The monster caught them in its gaze, and leapt at them. It overshot it, and collided with the house they were running to, trapping itself again.

"Quick, Laura," Aaron yelled, "Amy, let us know when it starts flapping!"

Amy watched as Laura and Aaron set up bombs around the house, the monster flailing madly, trying to free itself.

"You ready?" Aaron yelled.

"Yeah, let's finish this!" Laura replied.

The two of them lit fuses and ran back to Amy as she watched the fuses slowly burn away.

"Wait, if it's a Fire Dragon, what good will bombs do?" She asked, suddenly worried.

"Hopefully, they'll catch it off guard, and weaken it a fair bit," Aaron said, his voice not showing the same confidence his words did.

The bombs exploded in another spectacular combination of light, sound and heat, sending wood into the air, along with a thick pillar of smoke. The beast had been thrown into the air, and crashed to the floor, shaking the ground as it landed. It stood up and extended its wings, glaring menacingly at the Hunters.

"My sword!" Amy said, realising that she was unarmed.

"Go get it, we'll hold it off!" Laura shouted, drawing her swords.

Amy turned and ran back to where she had dropped her Katana, quickly navigating the rubble that littered the area. Another explosion shook the ground, knocking her to her feet. Grabbing the wood for support, she pulled herself up and over the remains of the house wall, and crawled to the sword that lay on the floor. Her eyes met the sword, and she knew she wouldn't be able to use it again. The heat from the Dragon's body had warped the blade, it was now bent and twisted beyond repair, the handle was broken, and the wrappings lay on the floor in ashes. She quickly untied the sheath from her back and put the weapon with it, dragging herself over to the carriage. She threw the weapon into the back, and grabbed the shiny black sheath from beneath her old armour.

'Now is the time,' she thought to herself, and strapped the blade to her back.

Aaron and Laura appeared at the doorway of another house, running as fast as their bodies would allow, the fierce blaze of the Dragon visible in the house behind them. The monster burst through the wall, shaking off the rubble that fell onto it, and charged towards the Hunters. Amy grabbed her sword and ran towards the beast, bringing the black blade over her head as the Dragon's wing passed over her. Blood rained down onto her, drenching her face and hair as she rolled away from the beast, turning around to wait for its next move.

It howled in pain and glared at her, its eyes searching over her body. It let out a roar and took off into the air, flying towards the rising sun, eventually disappearing from view.

"Thank the Elders for that," Aaron said, exhausted, "I don't know how much longer I would have lasted."

"There's no time for that," Said a voice, "The Guild has ordered you three to head to Schrade immediately."

"What?" Amy said, looking up.

A Guild member stood there, his silver armour shining in the morning sun, a carriage behind him.

"And why should we have to go there?" Laura said, obviously struggling to stand. "Give us one good reason."

"Fatalis." The Guild member said quietly, looking around nervously.

"What?" Aaron almost shouted, "It doesn't exist, the old king killed it, over a hundred years ago."

"Listen, Hunter," The Guild member said, his voice taking on a tone of authority, "I don't have time to stand here telling you the difference between what you read and what happened, okay? Now get in the carriage."

The trio climbed into the back of the carriage, where they all collapsed to the floor, the battle taking its toll on their stamina.

"Before we go," Aaron started, "Tell your cleanup crew that the tail we cut off is mine, have it sent to Pokke for me."

"Along with any survivors." Amy added.

"Alright, can we go now?" The Guild member asked, "Fatalis isn't going to wait around for us, you know."


End file.
